Views of the Mahantango: Primipilaria primipilaris brachiopod from Eifel, Germany

I've featured Primipilaria primipilaris on the blog previously as a fossil from the Skaly beds in Poland. Today I have a specimen from the Eifel region of Germany to compliment that earlier specimen. Hailing from the Junkerberg formation near Gondelsheim (SW of Bonn, near the border with Belgium), this brachiopod (when viewed from above of below) has a pointed umbo that grades out to the egdes of the shell in a wide, obtuse angle while the rest of the perimeter is roughly rectangular in shape. The most notable feature is seen when viewing the anterior portion of the shell where a deep "U" shape can be seen along the margin where the valves meet. This normally might be associated with a deep sulcus but the pedicle valve is only slightly bent. Also notable is that all along the margin where the valves meet around the shell (excepting the hinge line) the shell looks "puckered" as though eating a lemon drop. Shell ornamentation is minimal with fine radiating ribs.

Specimen #1
Pedicle valve