Friday, January 22, 2016

Inflatia sp. brachiopod from the Chainman formation of Utah

I found this specimen of a spiny productid brachiopod at Conger Springs, Utah. I believe it is an example of the genus Inflatia. I am unsure as to the species because the preservation is not the best. It was a spiny brachiopod but not as spiny as a similar genus, Juresania.  The pedicle valve is very convex while the brachial valve is flat to slightly convex and the margins of both meet at a 90 degree angle to the brachial valve.  Both valves are decorated with linear costae but only the pedicle valve has spines. The spines appear somewhat randomly placed although there could be a pattern that I don't recognize.

Pedicle valve
Anterior
Brachial valve
Posterior
Profile

I used the reference "Brachiopoda of the Amsden Formation (Mississippian and Pennsylvanian) of Wyoming.", MacKenzie Gordon, Jr., 1975 pg. 36, plate 3, fig 1-9 to identify this brachiopod.
This specimen came from the Chainman formation at Conger Springs (west of Delta), Utah and is Carboniferous (Mississippian epoch, Visean stage of the ICS or Mississippian period, Chesterian stage in the US) in age.

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