Olenellus Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Paleo Friends: The attached photo of Elrathia kingi is my best photograph of fossils in my paleontological collection, if not my best trilobite group. In the Wheeler Amphitheatre, in which they were found, are other species of this genus, but Elrathia kingi is the most prized of Utah's trilobites. ---- Olenellus Olenellus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 (edited) Those are some nice Elrathias, even a couple with the free cheeks attached. But, although this species is kingi in terms of abundance, there are other Utah trilobites that are more highly prized for both beauty and rarity. Does anybody [anybody else, that is] know where the name Elrathia came from? Don Edited January 30, 2012 by FossilDAWG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Does anybody [anybody else, that is] know where the name Elrathia came from? Don After checking through a few of the papers and records by Palmer, Robison, Treatise Vol. O., and others was not able to find any official description of the etymology of the genus Elrathia, Walcott (1924). My best guess on the derivation would be from the Gaelic word: Rath for a circular fortified enclosure or ringfort, most common from the Iron Age of northern Europe and Ireland. Attached is a link at Wikipedia showing various examples of typical Elrathia-shaped ringforts for comparison. LINK If I'm off target please don't unleash your Wrath... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 (edited) I like your explanation much better than the one Resser (1938) gives, which is just that the genus was named for the tiny town of Elrath, Alabama although the type species (E.kingi) is from Utah. I just find it interesting that we all associate the genus with the Western side of the Laurasia, and most people are not aware that many of the genera that are found in the Wheeler/Marjum/Weeks also occur on the Eastern side of Laurasia (although the species are different). At some locations even the style of preservation is the same, with the calcite cone-in-cone prisms forming a wafer with the specimen on one surface and a replica on the other. Some of the same soft-bodied fauna has also been found (including Naroia), and even one specimen of Gogia. Don Edited January 31, 2012 by FossilDAWG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Thanks Don, How ironic that a Conasauga Elrathia is the topotype namesake as there is no mention of that tidbit in the Schwimmer paper. Oh well... at least I managed a fairly plausible premise from thin air. Thanks for sharing a few fun facts on these often overlooked trilobites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I am hoping to collect in Utah this summer. I will be very disappointed if I do not come back with a few of these for my very own. Even though this is a common trilo my cupboard is currently bare!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranamuck Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 I am hoping to collect in Utah this summer. I will be very disappointed if I do not come back with a few of these for my very own. Even though this is a common trilo my cupboard is currently bare!!!!!!! I did some collecting last year in Utah and finding them is as easy as falling off a rock but I only found one superb speciman like above. Still, was alot of fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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