Unidentified Indiana Gastropod

[Kaden]

I found this fossil in southeastern Indiana.

Does anyone know what it could be?

I figure it's some kind of gastropod but I'm not sure what, I've never seen one like it before. 

 

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Looks a lot like Phragmolites sp. to me.

Do you know the formation or can give us a little more in the way of the location of this find, please?

[Kaden]

2 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Looks a lot like Phragmolites sp. to me.

Do you know the formation or can give us a little more in the way of the location of this find, please?

I belive it is from the Liberty formation or the Waynesville formation.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Then I think this is Phragmolites dyeri.

A nice specimen.

[Kaden]

Just now, Tidgy's Dad said:

Then I think this is Phragmolites dyeri.

A nice specimen.

Awesome! Thank you for the info.

[connorp]

Yes, Phragmolites dyeri. Very common in the minuens trilobite bed in the Liberty Formation.

[FossilDAWG]

I completely agree with Phragmolites dyeri.  I'm not sure I would call it "very common" though, I have found 2 in 4 or 5 visits to the "butter shale" at the Hwy 1 roadcut near St Leon IN.   BTW it is debated if Phragmolites was a gastropod or a monoplacophoran.  It can be very hard to distinguish between the two groups; I recall that the position of certain muscle scars on the inside of extremely well preserved shells is needed.

 

Don

[Tidgy's Dad]

1 hour ago, FossilDAWG said:

I completely agree with Phragmolites dyeri.  I'm not sure I would call it "very common" though, I have found 2 in 4 or 5 visits to the "butter shale" at the Hwy 1 roadcut near St Leon IN.   BTW it is debated if Phragmolites was a gastropod or a monoplacophoran.  It can be very hard to distinguish between the two groups; I recall that the position of certain muscle scars on the inside of extremely well preserved shells is needed.

 

Don

Indeed.

But most recent papers suggest that these are gastropods. 

And that bellerophonts in general are gastropods. 

About the common bit, I dunno, but some members have posted them before and  I have the species myself from pieces that have been sent to me.

[FossilDAWG]

Terms like abundant, very common, common, rare, and so on are fairly subjective of course.  I like the scale given on Elasmo.com, in the section on the Aquia Formation fossils:

• Rare - One or two specimens found each year (by all collectors).
• Scarce - A regular collector may find one or two a year.
• Uncommon - A collector may find one every few trips.
• Common - A specimen can be found each trip.
• Abundant - Pretty hard not to find a number of specimens each trip

Don

[connorp]

7 hours ago, FossilDAWG said:

Terms like abundant, very common, common, rare, and so on are fairly subjective of course.  I like the scale given on Elasmo.com, in the section on the Aquia Formation fossils:

• Rare - One or two specimens found each year (by all collectors).
• Scarce - A regular collector may find one or two a year.
• Uncommon - A collector may find one every few trips.
• Common - A specimen can be found each trip.
• Abundant - Pretty hard not to find a number of specimens each trip

Don

They actually are abundant in the butter shale at St. Leon. I find a couple every trip. Most are quite tiny though, and if you have your eyes focused for trilobites, they’re easy to miss.

[jpc]

Nice fossils...

I would like to add something like "exceptional" to the list above, for once in a lifetime finds.