Deep springs road find

[DrDave]

dorsum

 

ventral

[DrDave]

my mind sees this, but I’m uncertain 

 

what do you think?

[DrDave]

Thinking Echinocaris 

[DrDave]

[DrDave]

[DrDave]

[Al Tahan]

Wow I finally see it dave....that phyllocarid is flipped. That’s the “belly up” view. Mandibles and all!

[DrDave]

I see no images on the internet of phyllocarid mandibles that look like that, or are that disproportionately large compared to rostrum, if I’m interpreting what I’m seeing correctly...

 

Devonian experts please advise!

[Creek - Don]

Is that possibly a claw of Neptunus granulatus?

[DrDave]

26 minutes ago, Creek - Don said:

Is that possibly a claw of Neptunus granulatus?

This is Devonian, and I think Neptunus is much younger 

[Pemphix]

+1 for phyllocarid

[Fossildude19]

I'm in the Echinocaris sp.  camp. 

Here is what I see: 

   

 

 

 

This is a bryozoan covering something - either the remainder of the tail, or a gastropod. 

 

 

I found 5 or 6 bryozoan encrusted gastropods on Monday. 

 

[Al Tahan]

I think this photo is the most revealing on the structure/orientation of the phyllocarid. I’ll extend on what Tim @Fossildude19 and put my own 2 cents in. I am not sure the tail is present in this specimen. 

 

 

It appears the specimen is belly up showing both sides of the carapace and the mandible. I don’t see any evidence the tail is present but it could be under the rock. I have a feeling it could be missing. 

 

The tricky part is MOST of this fossil is still covered in shale and is upside down. The photo above is viewing the front end of the animal while belly up. I drew some lines to help show the orientation of this fossil. 

 

this diagram might help slightly but is drawn in a way to hide the belly of the phyllocarid.

 

 

 

With prep this should be a wonderful double carapace example on one side and mandibles underneath. This blows my phyllocarid out of the water. 

[Jeffrey P]

I too am leaning towards a phyllocarid. Phyllocarids are common enough at DSR to be a distinct possibility. I also considered a crunched up Dipleura cephalon, but phyllocarid carapace looks more likely. Seeing the specimen more fully after prep should clear up any doubts. I offer a preliminary congratulations. If it is a phyllocarid it is more 3D than any specimens I've encountered so far.

[DrDave]