A few fossils in need of IDs from Penn Dixie

[Misha]

Hi guys!

Haven't made any posts in a while but as I was going through some finds from Penn Dixie recently I have come across a few more fossils I would like to ID.

The first few are what I believe to be Pelycopods but I have no further info on them.

1. Part and Counterpart

2. Part and Counterpart, found in the same piece of shale very close to number 1

3. Smaller one among some horn corals

4. A larger one, this one is thicker than the rest and is very different in texture.

I have a few more pictures but I don't have space so I will include them below, 

Thank you guys for any help,

Misha.

[Misha]

5. This one is different and I believe it may be a brachiopid due to the symmetry, it is quite small located at the bottom of this piece.

6. The last piece is a horn or rugose coral but it is covered in something which I have not seen anywhere before.

[Misha]

Just realized I forgot to include a scale, the first three fossils are 1 cm in width, 4 is 1.5 cm, the brachiopod is about 0.5 cm and the coral is 2.5 cm in length.

[Greg.Wood]

1/2 - Orbiculoidea sp.

3 - Paleoneila filosa

4 - Don't know

5 - Pseudoatrypa? brachiopod cast

6 - Don't know

[Rockwood]

I think 6 probably just happened to land in a brachiopod shell hash.

[Monica]

Hey Misha!

 

I agree with Greg's identifications.

 

As for #6 - I think it might just be that the horn coral is quite worn down so you can see the "lines" (dissepiments/tabulae/septa) inside - see labeled image below.  I've found quite a few horn corals like yours at Hungry Hollow.  

 

(image is from http://atelim.com/-what-does-this-suggest-about-the-polyps.html)

 

I hope that all is well!

 

Monica

[Rockwood]

The sectioning shown is illustrative of the concept, but quite deceptive. I believe the septa (plural) have been omitted above the sectioning  line for the sake of clarity.

[Misha]

11 hours ago, Greg.Wood said:

1/2 - Orbiculoidea sp.

3 - Paleoneila filosa

4 - Don't know

5 - Pseudoatrypa? brachiopod cast

6 - Don't know

 

7 hours ago, Rockwood said:

I think 6 probably just happened to land in a brachiopod shell hash.

 

4 hours ago, Monica said:

Hey Misha!

 

I agree with Greg's identifications.

 

As for #6 - I think it might just be that the horn coral is quite worn down so you can see the "lines" (dissepiments/tabulae/septa) inside - see labeled image below.  I've found quite a few horn corals like yours at Hungry Hollow.  

 

(image is from http://atelim.com/-what-does-this-suggest-about-the-polyps.html)

 

I hope that all is well!

 

Monica

Hi guys,

Thank you for all the help and ideas,

I will try going out and finding some info on number 4.

[Misha]

12 hours ago, Greg.Wood said:

Orbiculoidea sp.

Do these brachs tend to live in groups? 

I found three in one small piece all very close together.

[Rockwood]

If they are disarticulated it likely represents sorting to some extent. It seems likely that they settled together in preferred habitats though. 

[Greg.Wood]

I have found them in clusters too. These were probably dumped here with some sediment though and weren't alive in this position.

[Shamalama]

22 hours ago, Greg.Wood said:

I have found them in clusters too. These were probably dumped here with some sediment though and weren't alive in this position.

Orbiculoidea sp. are inarticulate brachiopods of a type that cemented their lower valve to a hard substrate while the upper valve was movable.  There is no hinge line, they raised the entire shell up when they fed.  When you find them loose in a muddy substrate rock, like the Windom or Wanakah shales at Penn Dixie, they are just the upper valves. So what you are seeing is 1/2 of their body unless you find it attached to a larger shell or hardground.

 

Pic 5 looks like a shell has piece with the bottom shell actually a cast of the interior of an Athyrid type brachiopod. The picture is not very detailed but I do not see any ribs or growth lines present.

 

Pic 4 is a pelycypod but missing the shell so is only an impression. Hard to see and some is still buried, but I'd suggest Modiomorpha sp.

 

Pic 6 looks like a horn coral  that has been partially covered with a Auloporid type coral. Those corals tend to form lots of tubes on hard substrate and can cluster together. Yours may just be beat up a little. Can you post a clear picture that is closer than the far picture but not as close as the close up shots?

 

 

 

[Misha]

7 hours ago, Shamalama said:

Orbiculoidea sp. are inarticulate brachiopods of a type that cemented their lower valve to a hard substrate while the upper valve was movable.  There is no hinge line, they raised the entire shell up when they fed.  When you find them loose in a muddy substrate rock, like the Windom or Wanakah shales at Penn Dixie, they are just the upper valves. So what you are seeing is 1/2 of their body unless you find it attached to a larger shell or hardground.

 

Pic 5 looks like a shell has piece with the bottom shell actually a cast of the interior of an Athyrid type brachiopod. The picture is not very detailed but I do not see any ribs or growth lines present.

 

Pic 4 is a pelycypod but missing the shell so is only an impression. Hard to see and some is still buried, but I'd suggest Modiomorpha sp.

 

Pic 6 looks like a horn coral  that has been partially covered with a Auloporid type coral. Those corals tend to form lots of tubes on hard substrate and can cluster together. Yours may just be beat up a little. Can you post a clear picture that is closer than the far picture but not as close as the close up shots?

 

 

 

Wow! Thank you for all the help.

I see you have great on this subject, holding number 4 in hand it does seem to have the shell since it is different in coloration to the matrix and has visible growth lines, but I may be wrong.

I will post more pictures of the coral when I can.

Once again thank you very much 

[Misha]

Hi guys, 

Sorry for the delay I got a better picture of the coral:

I do not think this is the septa as it appears to be on the outside of the outer shell.

@Shamalama

[Misha]

I also found this thing,

It has the lines that often appear on trilobite fossil, the term escapes me right now but they are visible in the image, I do not recognize the shape.

[Rockwood]

6 hours ago, Misha said:

I also found this thing,

I'm not at all sure, but dendroid graptolite might be something to consider. They have been found there.

[Shamalama]

10 hours ago, Misha said:

Hi guys, 

Sorry for the delay I got a better picture of the coral:

I do not think this is the septa as it appears to be on the outside of the outer shell.

@Shamalama

Hi Misha,

 

I'm going to change my story on this one. I think you have a Cystiphylloides sp. rugose coral where part of the outer epitheca has been worn away prior to fossilization.  Cystiphylloides corals don't have linear septa, rather they have bubble shaped disseptiments that supported the animal.  Here is a blog post I made some years ago that shows a similar coral in cross section so you can see the bubble like disspetiments.

 

http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/2015/05/im-not-fossilized-yet-just-resting.html

[Misha]

1 hour ago, Shamalama said:

Hi Misha,

 

I'm going to change my story on this one. I think you have a Cystiphylloides sp. rugose coral where part of the outer epitheca has been worn away prior to fossilization.  Cystiphylloides corals don't have linear septa, rather they have bubble shaped disseptiments that supported the animal.  Here is a blog post I made some years ago that shows a similar coral in cross section so you can see the bubble like disspetiments.

 

http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/2015/05/im-not-fossilized-yet-just-resting.html

Very interesting, thank you

[Misha]

Once more I am back with another fossil,

This guy is a brachiopod suspended in limestone from Penn Dixie.

There are two others along with it on the piece but they are quite hard to see and I'm most interested in what the big one is.

Maybe @Tidgy's Dad can help?

Thank you all.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Others know the Penn Dixie fauna much better than I, though I have some brachiopods and other bits from there which I love. 

How big is it? 

But as a preliminary guess, I'd go for the rhynchonellid Camarotoechia congregata.

Which would be a great find as I don't have any! 

But I'm probably mile out. 

Let's ask someone who knows the site personally. 

@Kanemaybe? 

[Misha]

15 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Others know the Penn Dixie fauna much better than I, though I have some brachiopods and other bits from there which I love. 

How big is it? 

But as a preliminary guess, I'd go for the rhynchonellid Camarotoechia congregata.

Which would be a great find as I don't have any! 

But I'm probably mile out. 

Let's ask someone who knows the site personally. 

@Kanemaybe? 

Thank you, 

I currently do not have the piece with me but I would say it's 2-3 cm at the widest point.

[Tidgy's Dad]

5 minutes ago, Misha said:

Thank you, 

I currently do not have the piece with me but I would say it's 2-3 cm at the widest point.

Hmm.

Maybe a little big, but I have to confess as to not knowing the size range of this species.......................

[Fossildude19]

35 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Others know the Penn Dixie fauna much better than I, though I have some brachiopods and other bits from there which I love. 

How big is it? 

But as a preliminary guess, I'd go for the rhynchonellid Camarotoechia congregata.

Which would be a great find as I don't have any! 

But I'm probably mile out. 

Let's ask someone who knows the site personally. 

@Kanemaybe? 

I think you've got spot on. 

[Tidgy's Dad]

1 minute ago, Fossildude19 said:

I think you've got spot on. 

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Makes a change.

[Misha]

3 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

I think you've got spot on. 

 

Just now, Tidgy's Dad said:

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Makes a change.

Very interesting, thank you both for the help.