Herrin Coal Flora and Fauna

[connorp]

The lycopsid bark Sigillaria tessellata

 

 

[connorp]

Although a very common species in the Mazon Creek flora, this is the first one I've found from here.

Annularia radiata

 

 

[Mark Kmiecik]

Nodule looks more grainy than the other specimens. Is the scale bar 1 cm?

[connorp]

19 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

Nodule looks more grainy than the other specimens. Is the scale bar 1 cm?

Yes all are 1cm unless indicated otherwise.

Some of the concretions like this one are quite soft and friable. Others are more typical siderite. Not sure why there’s so much variability.

[flipper559]

Very nice Connor !! 

I haven't seen any from there . 

Rock On !!

Phil

[connorp]

5 minutes ago, flipper559 said:

Very nice Connor !! 

I haven't seen any from there . 

Rock On !!

Phil

Thanks!

Edited November 23, 2023 by connorp

[connorp]

Here's a pretty exciting find. This is the first horseshoe crab I know of from this site. It appears to be Euproops danae. The prosoma measures about 1.5cm in width.

 

 

Head on shot of the prosoma

 

Positive of the opisthosoma

 

Negative of the opisthosoma

 

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2023 by connorp

[deutscheben]

That’s terrific! What an exciting addition to the very limited fauna found at the site.

[connorp]

11 minutes ago, deutscheben said:

That’s terrific! What an exciting addition to the very limited fauna found at the site.

Yep it was exciting to find some fauna other than Dunbarella. The concretions are chock full of them, probably will have to start being picky about which I keep. Speaking of...

 

A concretion with a number of fragmentary Dunbarella.

 

[connorp]

Annularia inflata, the third species of Annularia found here. That rounds out all three of the Annularia species found in the Mazon Creek flora (excluding one very rare form).

 

 

 

Despite the significant taxonomic overlap, the floral composition at this site is much different than at Mazon Creek. Lycopsid remains (e.g. Stigmaria, Lepidodendron, etc.) dominate the flora at this site, but are generally not common in the Mazon Creek flora. Seed ferns also seem to much more common here compared to true ferns, in stark contrast to Mazon Creek.

[Yoda]

@connorp

 

NIce finds 

[connorp]

 

Annularia sphenophylloides

[connorp]

 

A concretion chock full of Myalinella meeki.

 

 

Basal pinnule of the seed fern Macroneuropteris scheuchzerii.

[connorp]

A cluster of Cyperites bicarinatus lycopod leaves.

[Mark Kmiecik]

Nice.

[connorp]

Many, many, many more Dunbarella striata.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Oh, I dunno, those  Dunbarella are quite nice.

For a bivalve.

[connorp]

A couple small but well preserved pieces of the lycopsid bark Synchysidendron andrewsii.

 

 

 

[Bobby Rico]

Aren't they just lovely.  I made a thread a few years ago about scale trees , a favourite of mine.  

[connorp]

This is not the first Palaeoxyris shark egg case from the site, but the first I've found.

 

[connorp]

A nice Alethopteris sullivantii. This seems to be one of the most common ferns in the concretions, although always a pleasure to find.