Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Orthospirifer sp. brachiopod from the Jeffersonville Limestone

The Brachiopod Orthospirifer is a genus that I don't find as often in the Devonian aged sediments that typically collect in New York and Pennsylvania.  The specimen below was sent to me as part of an exchange from Mike P. who runs the excellent "Louisville Fossils and Beyond" blog.  The specimen is is a little compressed and the brachial valve is encrusted with an Auloporoid type coral.  The only other Orthospirifer that I have in my collection is from the Silica Shale of Ohio. Orthospirifer looks similar to Mediospirifer audaculus but the interarea is often curved and the brachial valve more convex.

Brachial valve dorsal surface with the Auloporoid encrustation

Anterior view

Pedicle valve view of dorsal surface

Posterior view

Posterior view turned 180 degrees

Right profile

A closer view of the Auloporoid encrustation. Unfortunately the preservation of the coral is not good enough to speculate on the genus or species.


I received this specimen in an trade with Mike P. and it comes from the Jeffersonville Limestone located in Clark County, IN which is near Louisville, KY and is dated to the Devonian period (Eifelian stage).

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