Show Us Your Favorite Brachiopod In Your Collection

[ClearLake]

12 hours ago, Ken K said:

The first is a beautiful mature specimen of the rare Strophonellidae...Strophonella semifasciata, Hall.

Those are very nice, indeed!  What is the epibont on he upper right just to the right of the pyrite on the Strophonella?  I couldn't really zoom in enough to tell.  I saw something similar on one of my brachiopods today and wasn't sure what it was.  Is it the beginning of a crinoid stem?  Thanks

[Ken K]

Thanks Tidgy's.

 

Mike, right it's a nice group with really good specimens hard to find.  Thanks for the note.

 

Al, so right.  This one is the best example of this species I have from over 30 years collecting the Waldron.  The high energy of the Waldron seas just weren't kind to these shells!

 

Appreciate that Mediospirifer.  The E. radiatus took a long time to prepare, but well worth the effort.  

[Ken K]

Very observant ClearLake.  That is a specimen of Cornulites proprius, Hall.  A type of parasitic Annelida that is quite common on the Gastropods of the Waldron and less common on the other taxa, but I have examples of this species on just about all the Waldron fauna though sparingly.  They can obtain a rather large size with specimens in excess of 8 centimeters or more.

[Tidgy's Dad]

10 minutes ago, Ken K said:

Very observant ClearLake.  That is a specimen of Cornulites proprius, Hall.  A type of parasitic Annelida that is quite common on the Gastropods of the Waldron and less common on the other taxa, but I have examples of this species on just about all the Waldron fauna though sparingly.  They can obtain a rather large size with specimens in excess of 8 centimeters or more.

Cornulites is a fascinating creature. It and its relatives form the Cornulitida which together with the Tentaculitida, Microconchida (many of which were incorrectly labelled as serpulid worms) and others form the class Tentaculita, not considered annelids, but as molluscs by some, though many now consider them lophophorates and, as such, related to groups such as the brachiopods. 

[ClearLake]

1 hour ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Cornulites is a fascinating creature. It and its relatives form the Cornulitida which together with the Tentaculitida, Microconchida (many of which were incorrectly labelled as serpulid worms) and others form the class Tentaculita, not considered annelids, but as molluscs by some, though many now consider them lophophorates and, as such, related to groups such as the brachiopods. 

Yes, I just finished reading a paper about the Cornulitida and their possible affinities. Very interesting indeed. Lots of interesting theories proposed. I have to go back and look at a couple of items I was cataloging today and see if they were Cornulites, or just something that looked similar. 

 

Then I have to join in this thread with my favorite brachiopod (if I can pick just one)!!

[Wrangellian]

On 2/8/2019 at 11:20 AM, Mediospirifer said:

Wrangellian, nice piece. "Firsts" are always cool, especially when you can't find it in the field guides!

Thx. The worst part is having to part with it at some point, and then not knowing when (and whether in my lifetime) some researcher will come along and give it a name, whether naming it after me or God forbid someone else!

[I'm Frosty]

From Big Brook NJ 

[Ken K]

Hi Mediospirifer,

 

Thanks for the note, it was time well spent both in the collection and preparation of these specimens.  Hey, your forum name reminded me I just finished preparing two really nice middle devonian Mediospirifers,  one from around Alpena and one from the silica shale...Ken

[hrguy54]

A pyritized paraspirifer bownockeri from Sylvania, OH

 

 

 

[Baryonyx89]

I'd say it's this guy, from Rockford, IA

[Jackson g]

My personal favorite. Prep still isn't finished on it and it will be some time until I'll be able to finish it. Last update pic I was able to take a few weeks ago though, it's a big boy.

[Manticocerasman]

I finished the prepp on a brachiopod that is now one of my favorites. This thing is huge.

 

Stringocephalus burtini

Givetian

Hotton ( Belgium )

[Jackson g]

6 hours ago, Manticocerasman said:

I finished the prepp on a brachiopod that is now one of my favorites. This thing is huge.

 

Stringocephalus burtini

Givetian

Hotton ( Belgium )

Very nice!!

[Tidgy's Dad]

6 hours ago, Manticocerasman said:

I finished the prepp on a brachiopod that is now one of my favorites. This thing is huge.

Stringocephalus burtini

Givetian

etc.

[Manticocerasman]

40 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

etc.

[ricardo]

A classic! 

[Jackson g]

Wanted to share another. Brachiopods are just beautiful! Found this bad boy yesterday after almost giving in for the day, God had other plans though. Still needs some work, but I would say about 6 hours so far has revealed a lot. Sorry for the bad picture, I'm at work and just had to show some of my fossil loving co-workers. The saddest part is a ton of this fossiliferous rock is broken down for gravel. We like to turn history into stepping stones here in the USA.

[cngodles]

My favorite as far as detail goes. Species unknown.

[Omnomosaurus]

Mine is probably this bunch of brachiopods that looks like it includes a whopping Gigantoproductus crassus.

 

Lower Carboniferous

N. Wales, UK

 

[Jeffrey P]

Here is my contribution to the brachiopod collection- Oleneothyris harlani - Paleocene from Crosswicks Creek, New Egypt, New Jersey. These specimens are from a shell bed, below which, fossils are quite rare. There is some dispute whether the bed is the top of the Hornerstown Formation or the bottom of the Vincentown. That these, relatively primitive brachiopods briefly repopulated the Atlantic above the KT Boundary I find especially interesting.

 

[connorp]

Here is my favorite, from the Silica Shale at Paulding. A nice association with a small bryozoan bit between them, as well as a few epibionts on the larger brachiopod. The larger guy is complete with both valves which is not super common at Paulding. Still haven't gotten around to identifying them if anyone recognizes them. I would have kept cleaning off matrix but the smaller guy started to fall apart so I consolidated and called it a day.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

On 6/28/2019 at 10:49 PM, connorp said:

Here is my favorite, from the Silica Shale at Paulding. A nice association with a small bryozoan bit between them, as well as a few epibionts on the larger brachiopod. The larger guy is complete with both valves which is not super common at Paulding. Still haven't gotten around to identifying them if anyone recognizes them. I would have kept cleaning off matrix but the smaller guy started to fall apart so I consolidated and called it a day.

 

 

Pseudoatrypa devoniana, I think. 

Very nice too. 

@Peat Burns

 

[Peat Burns]

6 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Pseudoatrypa devoniana, I think. 

Very nice too. 

@Peat Burns

 

Agreed. The smaller one is Stropheodonta cf. S. demissa.

[Jackson g]

Since I'm obsessed with brachiopods, I'll breath some fresh air onto this thread. After some time has passed, I don't think I honestly could have a single favorite piece anymore after collecting now and trading. But I want to highlight one of my favorite trades with one of our fellow members @hrguy54. Thank you again for this beauty! This lovely piece came from northwest Ohio (Sylvania), and the brachs are all pyritized! I give it a glance almost every day, as it's one of my many brachs on my main display cabinet.