Paleontica Community

I have no clue what I found. It was wet and at first I thought I saw some small nut, brown against the grey rock. Looking at it better, it turned out to be part of the rock. They share some characteristics, but they are very differt from each other aswell.

Both are approximately 15mm across, 10mm long and 6 mm high. They have a slit along the symmetry axis. The slit is pronounced, creating two lobes, their tips almost ending in a spine. Low between and separated from the the lobes there is a long tongue-like organ with a V-shaped trench lengthwise. In this trench another long narrower structure is present, lengthwise (almost?) split vertical into two very narrow parts, in cross-section like two rather long apple pips, the rounded end down. The specimen were found about 10 meters east of fossil reserve.

Can anybody help identifying?

Hi 2Ronalds,

Interesting specimen. I am by far no expert, but these to not look like "nuts" to me. I would say they form the internal mould of some sort of shell (the structure looks like the hinge), which leaves me bivalve or possibly brachiopod. What kind of depositional environment were these found at?

Cheers,

Tim

Thank you for that suggestion Tim. The two specimen in these photographs are from the Mur des Douanier in Vireux-Molhain. I got them about 10m east of where the fence that indicates the fossil reserve stops.

The Mur is famous for its trilobites, so we are talking about a marine environment from about the middle of the Devonian. Brachiopods and bivalves may have occured there too. At the Vierves-sur-Viroin location I have found several different brachiopods, a few trilobites, corals and the bryozoan Fenestrella. I subscribe these "nuts" are probably interal molds.

I know Geological Enterprises sells interal molds of brachiopods, and I think I'll buy one or two to be able to evaluate your suggestion. That will take a few weeks.

I'll report back if I find something.

The director of Geological Enterprises, a firm that claims to have the largest collection of fossils for sale in the world, confirmed the photos show internal brachiopod moulds. Next question of cause is, of which species.

Is there anyone who knows an article that lists the Brachiopod species for the Mur des Douaniers? I haven't been able to find one on the internet so far.

Can the Treatise help?

http://129.237.145.244:591/FMPro?-db=tr ... html&-view

My knowledge of fossils is fairly limited to plant fossils, so I'm afraid I won't be able to help you further than my previous suggestion. Also, it is questionable whether an internal mould is enough to classify your specimens up to the species level.