Unknown Ordovician Fossil

[mtz]

Found this in the Cincinnati arch along with standard brachiopods and rugose corals from Ordovician. I was thinking some sort of bryozoan? Crinoid ends don't look like this?

[Fossildude19]

What does the other side look like?

What size is this?

[connorp]

Tetradium

http://drydredgers.org/thumb_by_coral.htm#Tetradium

[mtz]

41 minutes ago, connorp said:

Tetradium

http://drydredgers.org/thumb_by_coral.htm#Tetradium

Amazing thank you!

[mtz]

1 hour ago, Fossildude19 said:

What does the other side look like?

What size is this?

Sorry forgot the scale, it's half dollar size. Other side has nothing of note.

[mtz]

From the site you posted, I saw one picture and it appears to match the comment where the coral head broke - neat

[connorp]

1 hour ago, mtz said:

From the site you posted, I saw one picture and it appears to match the comment where the coral head broke - neat

There is not a consensus on the affinity of Tetradium. It has variously been classified as a coral, algae, and sponge.

 

A quote of a quote from elsewhere:

Quote

FYI, the latest Treatise Part E, Porifera makes this statement in part: "Ordovician Genus Tetradium (now interpreted as a florideophyte algae [replacement name Prismostylus Okulitch, 1935] by Steele-Petrovich, 2011, p.802)." This is quoted from Part E, Revised, Volume 4, Chapter 16B: Lebechiida, B. D. Webby, 2012, page 3

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by connorp

[mtz]

4 hours ago, connorp said:

There is not a consensus on the affinity of Tetradium. It has variously been classified as a coral, algae, and sponge.

 

A quote of a quote from elsewhere:

 

fascinating, a rhodophyte algae, I'm tempted to slice it and try some macro shots 

[connorp]

They are indeed pretty cool fossils. They are probably the biggest fossil you can find locally. I've found specimens maybe 3 feet in diameter.

[mtz]

19 hours ago, connorp said:

They are indeed pretty cool fossils. They are probably the biggest fossil you can find locally. I've found specimens maybe 3 feet in diameter.

tiny calcified tubes for photosynthesis : D

[mtz]

I think I should have said it's like a rhodophyte? Maybe I can slice and polish it, then try macro extension tubes (that work awesome for bugs btw!).

[mtz]

some close up pictures and polished an end