Productella spinulicosta Brachiopod Fossil

This plate contains a number of spiny brachiopods that appear to be Productella spinulicosta (Hall, 1867) in the Jeffersonville Limestone. The fossil dates to the Devonian Period. It was found at Coopers Lane Quarry Clark County, Indiana USA by Barbara Conkin (1928-2019) who was a local professor of geology.

 

Productella spinulicosta Brachiopod Fossil

 

Here are some illustrations of the brachiopod fossil Productella spinulicosta (Hall, 1867). The fossil was found in the Marcellus and Hamilton beds at Erie County, New York, USA. The fossil dates to the Devonian Period. 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 205, figures 112 & 112A.  

 

Fragment of a Platyceras dumosum

This fossil fragment is of a Platyceras dumosum (Conrad, 1840) spiny snail (gastropod). It was found in Clark County, Indiana USA.  The layer it was found is called the Jeffersonville Limestone which dates to the Middle Devonian Period. My nephews Joseph and Jack found this while we were out collecting.

 

Unknown Spiny Brachiopod in Black Shale

This fossil is quite interesting. It appears to a brachiopod with very long spines. The fossil is from the collection of the late Dr. James Conkin (1924-2017) and had no label with it. The fossil is in a black shale and the only shale found around the Louisville area is the New Albany shale. Fossils are rare in that shale and usually very small and not white colored. 

The brachiopod could be some sort of Productoid where the genus could be Pulchratia or Linoproductus. See University of Nebraska-Lincoln brachiopods of the Grant Shale web page. The Fossils of Parks Township web site shows a brachiopod called Antiquatonia portlockiana (Brew & Beus, 1976) and originally named Producti portlockianus (1855).

If anyone has suggestions of what this might be named or the locality it is from, please let me know. Thanks!

A Nettelroth Fossil Displayed at the Smithsonian

 

This picture was taken in June 2023 while visiting Washington D.C.'s Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. It is the Platyceras dumosum (Conrad, 1840) snail fossil found by Henry Nettelroth (1835-1887)  probably in the 1870s in Clark County, Indiana or Jefferson County, Kentucky. This gastropod existed in the Devonian Period and Jeffersonville Limestone. Nettelroth documented the specimens his book Kentucky Fossil Shells published in 1889. I am not sure which fossil on the plate is the one in the picture above. The curator at the Smithsonian said that spines had broken off while in storage over the last 110 years. The institution acquired the collection in 1907.

 

You can read my past experiences with the Smithsonian staff and their help in getting the specimens of USNM PAL 51268 imaged. So I was surprised on my visit to the museum earlier this week and saw on the specimens in a display case in the exhibit labeled PLAYING THE NUMBERS. They had it labeled as sea snail 1 Spinyplatyceras dumosum lived 391-389 million years ago and found in the Columbus Limestone of Clark County, Indiana.

From my personal perspective I was happy to see one of Louisville's fossils being displayed in the main fossil hall at the museum. Hopefully, if Henry Nettelroth were alive today he would be too.

Spiny Platyceras dumosum Snail Fossil

 

This fossil appears to be a Platyceras dumosum (Conrad, 1840) spiny snail (gastropod). It was found in 2020 in Clark County, Indiana USA. The layer it was found is called the Jeffersonville Limestone which dates to the Middle Devonian Period.

The genus Platyceras was named by Timothy Abbott Conrad (1803-1877) in Third Annual Report on the Palaeontological Department of the Survey. New York Geological Survey, Annual Report 4(1):199-207 1840.

Thanks to Kenny for the picture.

Platyceras dumosum Spiny Snail

This fossil appears to be a Platyceras dumosum (Conrad, 1840) spiny snail. It was found in 2002 in a quarry in Clark County, Indiana USA. The layer it was found is called the Jeffersonville Limestone which dates to the Middle Devonian Period. It was part of the James Conkin collection.

Really Nice Spiny Snail Fossil

The other day I was sent a picture of a spiny fossil. It is a Platyceras dumosum (Conrad, 1840) gastropod fossil. The fossil was found in Devonian Period's Jeffersonville Limestone.

Thanks to Rusty for sending me this picture.

Modern Day Spiny Sea Creatures

In July 2018, I visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, USA. While there I came across the Hall of Biodiversity and the variety of spiny invertebrate sea creatures on display.

Around the Louisville area we find the fossils of spiny creatures (brachiopods and snails) and while not common finds they peak the interest as what they fully looked like.

See these past posts of some of the fossils found: Productella spinulicosta (Devonian), Echinoconchus alternatus (Mississippian), Platyceras dumosum (Devonian), Productella spinulicosta (Devonian), Productella? (Mississippian), and Platyceras dumosum (Devonian).

Images above show spiny gastropods on display at museum. They were not identified by name.

Modern spiny sea creatures seen that museum were Cat's Tongue Oyster (Spondylus linguaefelis) found in Hawaii, USA.

American Thorny Oyster (Spondlylus americanus) found in southeastern United States down to Brazil.

Regal Thorny Oyster (Spondylus regius) found in western Pacific Ocean.

Did not identify these next two.

 Images taken July 2018.

Echinoconchus alternatus Spiny Brachiopod Fossil

This image appears to be an Echinoconchus alternatus spiny brachiopod fossil. It was found in the Indian Springs Formation of Crawford County, Indiana USA. The fossil dates to the Mississippian Period. Scale on image is in millimeters.

Thanks to Kenny for image.

Spiny Brachiopod Fossils

I would not call this fossil rare while at the same time not say it is common either. What makes this particular find nice is the number of preserved spines. The brachiopod has to be found in matrix as to protect those spines from breaking away from the shell.  These brachiopods appear to be a Productella spinulicosta (Hall, 1867). It was found in the Jeffersonville Limestone of Clark County, Indiana USA. Fossils date to the Devonian Period.

Thanks to Kenny for showing me this fossil.

Mississippian Spiny Brachiopod

This fossil brachiopod is one of the larger ones I have found from the Mississippian Period. It was found in Indiana and shows evidence of once having been covered in spines. It might be a Dictyoclostus or Productella. Other pictures in this posting show magnified views of the spines.