Name: Arthropda, Subphylum Chelicerata , Class Merostomata, Order Xiphosura, Family Euproopidae; Eupropops danae
Geological Time: Pennsylvanian (~300 m.y.a.)
Size (25.4mm=1 inch): 20 mm wide by 24 mm long Matrix: 80 mm by 53 mm
Fossil Site: Francis Creek shale, Morris, Illinois (Mazon Creek)
Code: CB09
Price: $135.00 - sold
 Description:
The Mazon Creek deposits of the region near Braidwood, Illinois rival
the other famous Lagerstatten of the Burgess Shale, Solnhofen, and
Liaoning for the variety of detailed life preserved. Many exquisitely
preserved specimens are found in the ironstone nodules that make up
the deposits. Xiphosura (horseshoe crabs) are related to the extinct
Eurypterids, and more distantly to spiders and scorpions. They trace
their ancestry back to the Cambrian, and proceed into the modern day
as the genus Limulus. This one is found in the Mazon Creek deposits
of Illinois, and is known as Euproops danae. This specimen is most
unusual in that the telson (tail spine)is found within a single nodule.
It is common for the telson (tail) to not be preserved, but that is
not the case here. |
