Protoleptostrophia from Sylvania

As I was going through boxes of Brachiopod shells from the Silica Shale I came across these thin, delicate fossils of Protoleptostrophia. I often find these Brachiopods in matrix and rarely loose like the below specimens. This is likely due to the extremely thin and delicate nature of the shells.

Pedicle Valve


Brachial Valve


These shells are so skinny I can't really get a good shot of the front, rear or sides like I do with other Brachiopods.

This was a loose shell of just the Pedicle Valve, but it shows the internal muscle scars.

Exterior


Interior


I'm going to call these Protoleptostrophia perplana based on the 1975 book by Robert V. Kesling & Ruth B. Chilman: Strata and Megafossils of the Middle Devonian Silica Formation: Museum of Paleontology, Papers on Paleontology, No. 8, pg. 99, pl. 13,24.