Texas Fossil Hound Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 (edited) I did a little driving out to the Texas Pennsylvanian and hunted several areas with a friend from TFF. The objective was to see if we could locate a Petalodus tooth or at least get a pretty good cross-section of Pennsylvanian fossils. I we accomplished both. Below is a sampling of my finds. First a nice partial Petalodus (my first) - I found 2 other partials, so the hunt is still on for a full one. A variety of Crinoid cups to include Delocrinus and Ulocrinus. (other opinions welcome!) Note the anal stalk section complete with spikes at the top of the picture. Some more various Crinoid sections. Some are victims of sponge attack. For size comparison the Crinoid nodal section at the lower far left is about the size of a nickle. A closeup of one section... Here are some Echinoderm pieces - mostly Archaeocidaris. The spines were quite nice! I found an almost complete one in 3 sections which I reassembled. These spikes attached to the sample Archaeocidaris plate shown. As usual, only partial Nautiloids. But there is a good assortment here. It includes (my guesses) partial Gonioboceras Hyatt, Peripetoceras, Preshumardites, Tainoceras, and a few others I am working on ID. A wide assortment of mollusks and bivalves - to include Apotocardium, Nuculana (rare), Astartella, Neospirifer, Antiquatonia, Chonetina, Knightites, and Pharkidontus. A couple od nice examples of Strobeus and Shansiella. Several examples of the squid Mooreoceras and the Scaphod Plagioglypta (2 at bottom left). Various Crinoid plates and spines, etc. The 3 partial Petalodus I found - now to find a whole one. Too be continued! Jon Edited March 11, 2013 by Texas Fossil Hound 1 "Silence is Golden, but duct tape is Silver." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandomas Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I am sure you will find the whole Petalodus very soon Nice fossils, indeed ! Erosion... will be my epitaph! http://www.paleonature.org/ https://fossilnews.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I love the TX Pennsylvanian too. You did well. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossiladdict Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Glad you finally got the pictures up! Love the crinoid cups. Teeth will be forthcoming hopefully in the near future! Fossils are simply one of the coolest things on earth--discovering them is just marvelous! Makes you all giddy inside! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Nice cross-section of fauna! That is an impressive cidaroid spine. Which is the scaph, the large one? or the smaller one above it? just guessing.. Is that not a coiled ceph just above lower left in your bivalve pic? I like how the coin in a fossil-collector's shots is often an old one... a collector is a collector I guess! (coin collector here too) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeloiVarden Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Man those stems look cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Very nice Jon. About the only place you came up short was with the dozen or so gastropods some Pennsylvanian sites in Texas offer up. But don't take it too hard, the crinoid and echinoid stuff more than makes up for it! I think my hunting buddy Jordan has the bottom of that tooth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 (edited) Really nice finds. The Archaeocidaris spine may be the best I've ever seen. The ammonoids are always special. The crinoid cup in the second pic, lower right may be Perimestocrinus. Could you take another pic that shows the area around the anal plate? Edited March 10, 2013 by Missourian Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Fossil Hound Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 (edited) Nice cross-section of fauna! That is an impressive cidaroid spine. Which is the scaph, the large one? or the smaller one above it? just guessing.. Is that not a coiled ceph just above lower left in your bivalve pic? I like how the coin in a fossil-collector's shots is often an old one... a collector is a collector I guess! (coin collector here too) In the picture of the Mooreoceras - 3rd from the bottom - the 2 samples of the Scaphod are the very bottom row, 1st and 2nd ones from left to right. Refering to McKinzie and McLeod's book on the TX Penn., these are often called "tusk shells". These wer open at both ends in life. The wider end was often buried in the sediment while the smaller end protruded into the water column for feeding purposes. Both show some growth bands. Regarding the gastropod shell in the bivalve picture, I thought it looked like a cephlopod as well, but In the same book it calls out this shell as a Knightites. And I cannot hunt without my lucky nickle. I have hunted with the same one for 10 years! Jon Edited March 10, 2013 by Texas Fossil Hound "Silence is Golden, but duct tape is Silver." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoPastels Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I am in love with that crinoid stem section, congrats and your other finds are nice!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 (edited) In the picture of the Mooreoceras - 3rd from the bottom - the 2 samples of the Scaphod are the very bottom row, 1st and 2nd ones from left to right. Refering to McKinzie and McLeod's book on the TX Penn., these are often called "tusk shells". These wer open at both ends in life. The wider end was often buried in the sediment while the smaller end protruded into the water column for feeding purposes. Both show some growth bands. Regarding the gastropod shell in the bivalve picture, I thought it looked like a cephlopod as well, but In the same book it calls out this shell as a Knightites. And I cannot hunt without my lucky nickle. I have hunted with the same one for 10 years! Jon Yes, scaphopods are also called Dentalium (the living genus at least), we have both fossil and living ones up here. Those look pretty much the same as my Cretaceous and Recent examples.. The lucky nickel looks like it has been doing you good! I agree about the coiled cephs and the crinoids too. Edited March 10, 2013 by Wrangellian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Great specimens! Pennsylvanian rules-- well, ok, all of the periods are great, but... Pennsylvanian rules! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 You did very well, Jon and found some really nice fossils.. I think there will be a complete tooth in your future too. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Fossil Hound Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Really nice finds. The Archaeocidaris spine may be the best I've ever seen. The ammonoids are always special. The crinoid cup in the second pic, lower right may be Perimestocrinus. Could you take another pic that shows the area around the anal plate? I certainly appreciate your opinion. Here are some follow up pics as requested. I looked up Perimestocrinus and I think you may be correct. I did not have this one in the reference book I was using. (Guess it is time for a better reference book!) Thanks!! Jon "Silence is Golden, but duct tape is Silver." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Fossil Hound Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 I am in love with that crinoid stem section, congrats and your other finds are nice!!! Thanks! There were some impressive crinoids out there. Still looking for full specimins in situ! "Silence is Golden, but duct tape is Silver." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I certainly appreciate your opinion. Here are some follow up pics as requested. I looked up Perimestocrinus and I think you may be correct. I did not have this one in the reference book I was using. (Guess it is time for a better reference book!) IMG_3493_sm.jpg IMG_3494_sm.jpg Thanks!! Jon Thanks. I love the fine texture on the plates. I figure it's Perimestocrinus because of the overall shape, the bulbous nature of the plates, and how the lower anal plate touches two of the basal plates. Here's a crinoid key for Pennsylvanian crinoids found around Kansas City: I drew it back in the 1990s when references were few and far between. The genera may have changed and split since then, and there may be other forms found in Texas. I hope some can find it useful. 2 Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Fossil Hound Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Missourian, That is extremely helpful! Thanks for the reference. Are you saying you DREW this chart????!!?!? WOW!! Very impressive and well done. I am going to put this in my mobile reference materials. Do you have any other recommended crinoid resources? I am obviosly in the market for new material. Jon "Silence is Golden, but duct tape is Silver." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Missourian, That is extremely helpful! Thanks for the reference. Are you saying you DREW this chart????!!?!? WOW!!.... Do you have any other recommended crinoid resources? I am obviosly in the market for new material. Jon Yes, I had to do what I had to do. I wanted to have them all on one sheet of paper. I drew most from specimens in my collection. For a few that I didn't have, I copied by hand from publications (eg. the Aesiocrinus crown). The text was redone in photo-editing software. I got most of the id's from 'Index Fossils of North America.' I also have the crinoid volumes of the 'Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology', but I haven't attempted to id anything with them yet. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foshunter Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Jon----Looks lie a bountiful hunt, like the urchin spins but everything interesting. One day want to hunt this time period-----Tom Grow Old Kicking And Screaming !!"Don't Tread On Me" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossiladdict Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Yes thank you for that referral sheet! Very helpful! Fossils are simply one of the coolest things on earth--discovering them is just marvelous! Makes you all giddy inside! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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