Kasia Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 Dear TFF Members, today this piece arrived from a seller, who unfortunately didn't know either the correct ID of the fossils, or the age - the only thing he knew in respect of the specimen was that it comes from the South of England. He suggested it's a water worm, but I would like a more precise ID. On the front of the rock - apart from the potential "worm" - there are also numerous trilobite tails. And on the back - an imprint of a snail? ammonite? , two parts of something that looks like shell and a chain of something? Absolutely no idea, what it could be . Please help me Front of specimen: With a flash: Close-ups of trilobites' tails: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasia Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 And a "worm" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 My first thought was Orthocone cephalopod, but it also looks a bit like a eurypterid. Not sure. Is there a pustulose, or bumpy textured surface to the item? Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasia Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 The back side: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasia Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scylla Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 some conularid like texture showing up there? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 3 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasia Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 6 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said: My first thought was Orthocone cephalopod, but it also looks a bit like a eurypterid. Not sure. Is there a pustulose, or bumpy textured surface to the item? The "worm's" surface has little overlapping stripes - so it is uneven. When I saw the shape of it, my first guess was also eurypterid, but when I compared it with the specimens I have, the "stripes" of the worm are very even in size all along the body of the creature, whereas in the case of eurypterids, the tail segments are thicker. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasia Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 6 minutes ago, Scylla said: some conularid like texture showing up there? You mean these two parts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scylla Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 yes 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 I see Calamites-like plant material. 4 "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasia Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 Just now, Scylla said: yes It would be really cool - I don't have any conulariids yet Which age could they be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasia Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 4 hours ago, Fossildude19 said: The "weird bits" for me were actually the trilobite thorax bits Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 1 minute ago, Kasia said: It would be really cool - I don't have any conulariids yet Which age could they be? The conulariids range from the Cambrian to the early Triassic. 2 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scylla Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 3 minutes ago, Kasia said: It would be really cool - I don't have any conulariids yet Which age could they be? I think Kane beat me to it I would try to ID the trilobite pygidiums to get an approximate date 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasia Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 2 minutes ago, Kane said: The conulariids range from the Cambrian to the early Triassic. Thanks Maybe the trilobites' tails will help narrow down the time span Could any British trilobites' expert have a look at them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasia Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 7 minutes ago, Auspex said: I see Calamites-like plant material. Thanks for suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 To my eye, the faunal assembly here suggests Ordovician — based on similar formations I’ve collected from on this side of the pond. 5 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasia Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 2 hours ago, Kane said: To my eye, the faunal assembly here suggests Ordovician — based on similar formations I’ve collected from on this side of the pond. Thanks Now I'm counting on @JohnBrewer and @Bobby Rico to tell me, where in the UK such Ordovician piece could be found Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 16 minutes ago, Kasia said: Thanks Now I'm counting on @JohnBrewer and @Bobby Rico to tell me, where in the UK such Ordovician piece could be found The only fossiliferous Palaeozoic rocks in southern England are Devonian and Carboniferous (and they're all towards the south west). However, I've just found out that large exotic blocks of Ordovician and Silurian age occur in the Upper Devonian of Cornwall so there's quite a choice! It doesn't look Carboniferous and my first guess (and guess it is) would be Devonian, with the trilobites possibly being Dechenella and the large weird thing an orthocone. 6 Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasia Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 17 minutes ago, TqB said: The only fossiliferous Palaeozoic rocks in southern England are Devonian and Carboniferous (and they're all towards the south west). However, I've just found out that large exotic blocks of Ordovician and Silurian age occur in the Upper Devonian of Cornwall so there's quite a choice! It doesn't look Carboniferous and my first guess (and guess it is) would be Devonian, with the trilobites possibly being Dechenella and the large weird thing an orthocone. Thanks a lot - so does it resemble any material you know? Meaning - where could it come from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 Hi I found lots of trilobite in the uk but I have not really gone down south more Wales, midlands and Scotland . I don’t recognise the matrix it is too difficult to say . Tarquin guess of Dechenella maybe good .We can call @Tidgy's Dad . I also know a very well known Palaeontologists he is retired now. I can email him for you he specialised in British trilobites . 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 Looks Welsh Ordovician to me, but some really weird bits and pieces, a very interesting piece. 5 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrewer Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 I certainly don’t recognise it as southern England but I have no experience of Cornwall. John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 In the UK the only described species of Dechenella is D. setosa. The posted specimens are different having a wide tapering axis and fewer pygidial ribs and axial rings. D. setosa has 18 rings and 12 ribs and a slightly tapering narrow axis. figures from: Selwood, E.B. 1965 Dechenellid Trilobites from the British Middle Devonian. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Geology Series, 10(9):317-333 LINK 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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