Ichthyocrinus laevis Crinoid Fossil Illustration

 

Here are some illustrations of the crinoid fossil Ichthyocrinus laevis (Conrad). The fossil was found in the Rochester shale at Erie County, New York, USA. The fossil dates to the Silurian Period. This fossil is also found in the Lockport Shale. They were published in Amadeus Grabau's (1870-1946) book Geology and Palaeontology of Eighteen Mile Creek and the Lake Shore Sections of Erie County, New York from 1899.  The images are from pages 157-158, figure 53. 

Eucalyptocrinus decorus Crinoid Fossil Illustration

 

Here are some illustrations of the crinoid fossil Eucalyptocrinus decorus (Phillips). The fossil was found in the Clinton beds at Erie County, New York, USA. The fossil dates to the Silurian Period. This fossil is also found in the Rochester Shale. They were published in Amadeus Grabau's (1870-1946) book Geology and Palaeontology of Eighteen Mile Creek and the Lake Shore Sections of Erie County, New York from 1899.  The images are from pages 157-158, figure 53.

Orthothetes subplanus Brachiopod Illustration

 

Here are some illustrations of the brachiopod fossil Orthothetes subplanus (Conrad). The fossil was found in the Clinton beds at Niagara Falls, New York, USA. The fossil dates to the Silurian Period. This fossil is also found in the Rochester Shale. They were published in Amadeus Grabau's (1870-1946) book Geology and Palaeontology of Eighteen Mile Creek and the Lake Shore Sections of Erie County, New York from 1899.  The images are from page 184, figure 91.

Caryocrinites ornatus Cystoid Fossils

 

My September 2021 trip to Alpena, Michigan USA included a visit to local paleontologist Paleo Joe (aka  Joseph Kchodl). 

This picture is of one of his cystoid fossils from Middleport, New York USA. This fossil is known as Caryocrinites ornatus (Say, 1825). It was found in the Rochester Shale and existed in the Silurian Period.

Another beautiful specimen fossil of this species can be found at this web site http://www.primitiveworlds.com/cystoids-3.html

The next picture shows the same cystoids buy you can see their almost full length stems down to the holdfast. Also a Striispirifer niagarensis (Conrad, 1843) brachiopod fossil on that matrix as well.

Icthyocrinus laevis Crinoid Calyx Fossil

 

My September 2021 trip to Alpena, Michigan USA included a visit to local paleontologist Paleo Joe (aka  Joseph Kchodl). 

This picture is of one of his crinoid calyx fossils from Middleport, New York USA. This fossil is known as Icthyocrinus laevis (Conrad, 1842). It was found in the Rochester Shale and existed in the Silurian Period.

Another beautiful specimen fossil of this species can be found at this web site http://www.primitiveworlds.com/crinoids-14.html

Proaster Brittle Star Fossil

 

My September 2021 trip to Alpena, Michigan USA included a visit to local paleontologist Paleo Joe (aka  Joseph Kchodl). 

This picture is of one of his brittle star fossils from Middleport, New York USA. This fossil is known as Protaster sp. (Forbes, 1849). It was found in the Rochester Shale and existed in the Silurian Period.

Genus was named by Edward Forbes (1815-1854) in Figures and descriptions illustrative of British Organic Remains. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of the United Kingdom (1849).

Chilotrypa ostiolata Bryozoan Fossil

 

My September 2021 trip to Alpena, Michigan USA with several amateur paleontologists from Louisville and Chicago, we visited a local paleontologist Paleo Joe (aka  Joseph Kchodl). 

This picture is of one of his bryozoan fossils from Middleport, New York USA. This fossil is known as Chilotrypa ostiolata (Hall, 1852). It was found in the Rochester Shale and existed in the Silurian Period.

Desmograptus micronematodes Graptolite Fossil

My trip earlier this month to Alpena, Michigan USA with several amateur paleontologists from Louisville and Chicago, we visited a local paleontologist Paleo Joe (aka  Joseph Kchodl). This picture is of one of his graptolite fossils from Middleport, New York USA. This fossil is known as Desmograptus micronematodes (Spencer, 1884). It was found in the Rochester Shale and existed in the Silurian Period.

 

Species was named by Joseph Winthorp Spencer (1851-1921) in Graptolites of the upper Silurian System (Niagara fossils). Bulletin of the University of Missouri Museum, 1, pages 555–610 published 1884.

Dr. Spencer is buried at Grove Cemetery in Dundas, Ontario, Canada.

AMNH Video Tour of Trilobite Collection

 

On Friday, July 24, 2020 the American Museum of Natural History streamed live a presentation by Melanie Hopkins Associate Curator in the Division of Paleontology and PhD student Ernesto Vargas-Parra. They hosted a brief virtual tour of part of the museum's trilobite collection on the fifth floor. 

At around 1:45, it looks like they start off with a famous locality for Cambrian trilobites from Utah. Around 8:20 in the video, a Silurian Trimerus trilobite fossil shows up maybe from New York's Rochester Shale. The next plate has quite a few trilobites mixed with brachiopods with maybe some being Calymene. At 9:40 a cluster of Silurian Dalmanites trilobite fossils followed by a box with three more Trimerus and ending with one large Trimerus. What looks like an Estonian graptolite fossil shows up at the 12:20 mark in the video. It looks somewhat odd to me being white as all the graptolite fossils I tend to find are black. By the time the video is at 18 minute mark, I think they are looking at Moroccan trilobite fossils.

I visited the museum in July 2018 and I do not recall very many trilobite fossils being no display so this video was a great way to see the collection area that few members of the public get to see. When I was there, I found a display case in the lower level with some wonderful display grade specimens. See picture above. I have documented most of the fossils seen in the case in previous postings on this blog.

If the video player does not display in your browser, here is the direct YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x4xI9KupaY Recently, every Friday at 1 PM EST they present another museum video, hopefully we will get to see some more of the fossil collection.

Arctinurus boltoni Trilobite Fossil

Above is an image of a prone trilobite fossil called Arctinurus boltoni (Bigsby, 1825). A trilobite fossil like this is found in the Silurian Period Rochester Shale. It was found Middleport, New York, USA. The fossil was on display in the Evolving Planet section of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago Illinois, USA as of August 2020. Accession number is PE60823.

Arctinurus boltoni Trilobite Fossil

This trilobite fossil was on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York city in July 2018. The trilobite fossil is named Arctinurus boltoni (Bigsby, 1825). It was found in the Rochester Shale of Middleport, New York, USA and dates to the Silurian Period. Accession number is Fl-78841. Donated by Fred Barber and Ray Meyer.

The museum's trilobite exhibit was made possible by Dr. Martin Shugar, M.D. and Andy Secher who are also editors for the AMNH trilobite web site.

Pterinea brisa Pelecypod

This fossil imprint was a nice find. It appears to be a Pterinea brisa Hall (or Ambonychia (Pterinea) striaecostata McChesney 1869) pelecypod fossil found in the Silurian Waldron Shale of Clark County, Indiana. A similar bivalve is found in the Rochester Shale of New York called Cornellites emacerata Conrad.

The Pterinea brisa was described by James Hall in the 1881 Indiana Geological Survey (pages 316-317; Plate 27 Figures 24-25; Plate 28 Figures 7-9):

Body of shell (left valve) obliquely subovate, extremely inequilateral; anterior wing moderately extended and strongly sinuate at its junction with the body; posterior wing not extending as far as the posterior extremity of the shell; umbo prominent, beak rising a little above the hinge-line; muscular
impression in right valve large and nearly round, near the middle of the length of' the shell. In the casts, beneath or just anterior to the beak, there is one short curving dental pit, with. smaller accessory one. This is a feature not observed in the Waldron specimens, which are usually found as the exteriors and often as. imperfect interiors of the valves; the few casts which have been observed from this locality, do not show the muscular marking. 

Surface marked by strong radiating and concentric striae, with broad, little elevated, radiating ribs. The concentric striae of growth are produced into prominent, recurving, fimoriated laminae, the fimbriae being infolded at their margins and bending backward in the form of long, hollow, semicylindrical spines, leaving a broad sinus between, in the bottom of which is a shorter spine. The younger specimens, as usually preserved, present simple fimbriated lamellae.

Plate 28 Figure 7 - Indiana Geological Survey 1881

Plate 28 Figure 8 - Indiana Geological Survey 1881

The Silurian Experience Field Guide

Primitive Worlds is a fossil company in Rochester, New York that appears to run a private quarry that harvest and sell Rochester Shale fossils.  Their web site lists they have worked for over 20 years to find some extraordinary fossils.  From that collection, they have created a picture book called The Silurian Experience and a subset of that book called the Field Guide.

I obtained a field guide this month for $25 from their web site and it arrived promptly.  The guide is not large being only 27 pages.  What they did was take the pages from the 233 page main book and spiral bound them together.  Pages from the main book are 1, 2, 16-20, 22, 26, 27, 39-41, 60, 63, 68, 72, 78, 86, 91, 96, 103, 110, 134, 146, 154, 158, and 162 comprise the field guide.  As a  result, the reader will see the thumbnail images of all the fossils contained in the book.  The color pictures range in size approximately 2-7 cm in length and about 3-5 cm in height.

The guide contains an amazing number of intact trilobite and crinoid fossils found in the Rochester Shale over the last 17 years at Calebs' Quarry in western New York state.  Creatures I did not know existing in that layer are also shown, like edrioasteriods (Hemicystites parasiticus and Rhenopyrgid sp.), starfish (Palaeaster niagarensis and unidentified one), brittle stars (Protaster sp., Protaster stellifer, and unidentified one), Machaeridian worm (Lepidocoleus sarlei), and Conularians (Conularian niagarensis and 4 unidentified ones)

Here is the list of species found in the guide:

Corals: Enterolasma calculum, Favosites parasiticus, Favosites niagarensis

Bryozoans: Retpora diffusa, Lichenalia concentrica, Callopora aspera, Hallopora elegantula, Fenestrellina elegans, Retpora asperato-striata, Chilotrypa ostiolata, Trematopora tubulosa, Clathropora frondosa, and 8 undetermined specimens

Brachiopods: Leptaena rhomboidalis, Atrypa reticularis, Trematospira camura, Homeospira cf. evax, Whitfieldella nitida, Dalejina hybrida, Coolinia suplana, Whitfieldella cf. oblata,  Resserella elegantula, Howellella H. crispa, Rhynchonellid sp., Striispirifer niagarensis, Diabolirhynchus acinus, Dictyonella corallifera, Boucotinskia sulcata, Plectatrypa nodostriata, Lingula lamellata, Rhynchotreta R. americana, Stegerhynchus neglectum,  and 12 undetermined specimens.

Bivalves: Cornellites emacerata and undetermined specimen

Gastropods: Platyceras niagarensis, Naticonema niagarensis, and Niticonema sp.

Cephalopods: Cyrtoceras cancellatum, Orthoceras sp. and Dawsonoceras americanum

 Graptolites: Acanthographtus granti, Desmograptus micronematodes, Dictyonema gracilis, Dictyonema retiforme, Dictyonema crassibasale, Inocaulis ramulosus, and 2 undetermined specimens

Worm tubes: Cornulites sp., Cornulites bellistriatus, and Cornulites arcuatus.

Trace Fossils: Diplichnites (tracks), Rusophycus bilobatum, Bifungites halli, and undetermined

Other Fossils: Prototaxites sp., Paracarcinosoma sp., Tentaculites niagarensis, Onchus deweii, Sphenothalus sp.

Rochester Shale Fossils at Smithsonian 2010

Crinoids: Icthyocrinus laevis, Macrostylocrinus sp., Lyriocrinus dactylus, Stephanocrinus angulatus, Saccocrinus speciosus, Homocrinus parvus, Crinobrachiatus brachiatus, Dendrocrinus longidactylus, Lecanocrinus macropetalus, Gazacrinus sp., Eucalyptocrinites caelatus, Catatonocrinus sp.

Cystoids: Apiocystites elegans, Caryocrinites ornatus

Dalmanites limulurus Trilobite Displayed at Smithsonian 2010

Trilobites: Arctinurus boltoni, Bumastus ioxus, Calymene niagarensis, Dalmanites limulurus, Decoroproetus corycoeus, Dicranopeltis nereus, Illeanus insignis, Trimerus delphinocephalus and undetermined

My reason for buying the book was help with identification of Waldron Shale fossils which I find mostly as fragments.  The only guides I know of are old books (by paleontologists James Hall, Frank Springer, August Foerste, Henry Nettelroth, and Charles Beecher), websites like Indiana State Museum collections, eBay, Indiana9Fossils, and Week's Trilobites, and academic papers.  The Primitive Worlds group (Ray Meyer, Kent Smith, Gene Thomas, Paul Chinnici, and Fred Barber) are the only ones I know of doing extensive collecting, prepping, and selling of Silurian Period fossils like these.

The guide did not help me with brachiopod identification as I had hoped.  They have quite a few unknown ones as well. I do not believe their identification of the Homeospira cf. evax is correct.

As for recommendations, the price of this guide is steep for the material it presents and the pictures too small to allow for good identifications of fossils like crinoids.  If you are looking for identifications or like pictures of very nice trilobites and crinoids and can afford the around $80 with shipping, buy the 233 page picture book.  If you have a locality that has exposed Rochester, Osgood, Waldron, or Brownsport Shales then the guide would be a good starting point for you if you cannot pay the $80 for the book.