Kehbe Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 (edited) Just wanted to post up the pictures of my wife Cyndi and my grandaughter LuLu's finds yesterday afternoon! They both done better than me! The crinoid stem, pic1, #3, that Cyndi found is the biggest we have found yet at that site. It's as big around as a dime! The long crinoid stems, pic1, #1, is three pieces that were somewhat lined up in the crumbly dirt/matrix and it's obvious that some inbetween pieces are missing but I couldn't convince a six year old of that so we lined them up for the picture! and I am pretty sure that pic1, #7 is a trilobite but he appears to be kinda mashed up and twisted! I have cleaned him up a bit and it almost appears to be the pygidium and some other parts wrapped around underneath that I haven't got cleaned off all the way. I picked the matrix off with a dental pick and surprisingly only chipped one tiny,tiny piece off that I didn't mean to. I have put an arrow pointing to the little nub that broke off on pic2. It was so tiny I couldn't find it when it fell off. The fin looking thing doesn't look like anything I can find on pictures of Ameura Trilobites though. Could this be any other kind of trilo? I will clean up the underside of it tonight and add a picture or two to this post tonight. Any thoughts? Again, I don't know if I will ever figure out which strata this comes from but it's where I've been hunting for the last couple weeks, my wife calls it the honey hole! ..pennsylvanian, missourian I think and all of the pieces in pic1 along with a bunch of brachio's and a lone wilkingia came from approximatly the same strata or the rubble pile underneath it. I wish I could better discern which one exactly it is. Sorry. okay, here's some pics....pic8 and pic9 are the reverse side. There is still some matrix in the cracks because after a certain someone said they would be "scared to touch that!" I got "scared to touch that!" pic1 pic2 pic3 pic4 pic5 pic6 pic7 pic8 pic9 Edited November 30, 2011 by Kehbe It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. Charles Darwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Hi Kehbe, The trilobite is preserved in an unusual manner because of lateral compression. The axis is intact in the thoracic region although flattened or squished in appearance. At the pygidium the axis is missing as a result of those forces and sheared off in the process. A phillipsiid trilobite is certainly what you found and most likely an Ameura or similar form. Attached are figures of A. missouriensis that you can print and file with your collection records. Congrats on the great find and hope you find one complete next time out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 (edited) Excellent find. It is an Ameura major (that's what we call them, at least). Enrolled trilobites are very rare around these parts. Your 'honey hole' looks like the Winterset Limestone (assuming it's the same spot where you found your Linoproductus). It has a wonderfully diverse assemblage of fossils. Or it's possible they came from the overlying Westerville Limestone. From what I can see in your photos, the trilobite may be nearly complete. Could you post a pic of the backside? And good job getting it free of matrix. I'd be scared to touch that.... Edited November 28, 2011 by Missourian Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 The species might be synonymous (Shumard, 1858) ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 That's why I normally stick to the generic level. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kehbe Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 Thanks for the gratz guys but first and foremost, the kudos belong to my wife, Cyndi! She is the one who spied this little beauty. I just cleaned it up! Which I probably would not have attempted had I known any better! To dumb to be scared I guess! :laughing on the floor 24: Thanks piranha for the figures, I have already printed them off. Missourian, the winterset limestone is within the missourian? So I would label it as "Carboniferous, Pennsylvanian, Missourian, Winterset limestone"? I will clean up the bottom better tonight and post more pics, I have already cleaned enough to see what I think is an eye and a portion of the cephalon. What might the little nub have been thats now missing? It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. Charles Darwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 You're very welcome Kehbe! Just to clarify I was not saying with specificity that your Ameura is A. missouriensis, only pointing out the species of trilobite in the attached figures. As Missourian astutely pointed out, sometimes it is less confusing to avoid the shuffle of taxonomic changes that predominate the scientific circles of debate, although it can be very rewarding to investigate the decades or centuries of progress. In that endeavor I discovered a few tidbits from Chamberlain, 1969, that in fact differentiate the two species. Always another page to be turned... paleontology is fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 (edited) The full stratigraphic breakdown: Carboniferous System; Pennsylvanian Subsystem; Upper Pennsylvanian Series; Missourian Stage; Kansas City Group; Bronson Subgroup; Dennis Formation; Winterset Limestone Member. Most of the rocks of the area are within the Kansas City Group. The Winterset is relatively easy to id. Portions of it typically have little beds of limestone, alternating with thin shales, that have a mixed tan/bluish-gray color. Your Linoproductus spot is classic Winterset. Chert nodules are often present. The little 'nub' that broke off could have been the tip of a displaced genal spine, a.k.a. a free cheek, or more properly, a librigena. Edited November 28, 2011 by Missourian Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taxman56 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 NICE BUGS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Just as I initially suspected, A. major and A. missouriensis are synonymous. If you wait long enough what was old becomes new or vice-versa. At least this debate was addressed only a short 19 years later and appears to be the valid name with precedence. As the type species form Missouri it does look better on a label IMO RE: Appalachian Carboniferous Trilobites (Nov., 1988) David K. Brezinski - Journal of Paleontology, Vol. 62, No. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fengw03 Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Very exciting find! I bet it's intact and the little nub that fell off is the tip of a genal spine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Nice bugs . I am completely Green w/Envy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grokfish Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Awesome find! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kehbe Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 She done good! She also came up with a fossil axiom... "You find stuff like this when your'e not lookin' for it!" Figures huh! Gotta love it! It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. Charles Darwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriangleFossils Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Wow great find and a really good job cleaning it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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