Eucalyptocrinites sp
Geological Time: Silurian Wenlockian Stage (430-424 mya)
Size (25.4 mm = 1 inch): 79 mm long by 63 mm wide by 24 mm high
Fossil Site: Waldron Shale, Waldron, Indiana
Code: CK0165
Price: $165.00 - sold
 Description:
Very 3-dimesional example of the holdfast of a Camerate crinoid of
the genus Eucalyptocrinites preserved in the blue-gray Waldron Shale,
a deposit that represented small incipient reefs in Indiana and Tennessee.
The holdfast is typically termed the radix, or root. Radicular holdfasts
have extensive branching, giving them the appearance of the roots
of a tree. To me they look more like the root system of a Suguaro
cactus, radiating outward near the surface of the ground. Like the
axial canal of the stem, they contain nervous and coelomic extensions.
They often attached themselves to hard objects that were encountered
during growth, making for a firm footing in the seafloor. |
