Taeniaster beneckei
Phylum Echninodermata, Class Ophiuroidea, Order Ophiurida
Geological Time: Lower Devonian, Seigenian - Emsian Stage
Size (25.4 mm = 1 inch): 80 mm arm span (as displayed, longer if starightened) on a 215 by 175 mm matrix
Fossil Site: Hunsruck Slate, Bundenbach Germany
Code: RS63
Price: Sold
 Description:
Well-preserved examples of an Ophuroid (brittlestar) known as Taeniaster
beneckei, seen here preserved ventral side up. The Hunsruck slate
is famous for its fossils, many of which have pyritization present.
Rapid burial and pyritization was what led to the many wonderful examples
of early Devonian life from the region. The chemistry of the silt
was such that low organic content and high levels of iron and sulfur
allowed the pyrite to diffuse into the tissues rather than be deposited
in the sediment. The mudstones were metamorphosed into slate during
the Carboniferous. The slate was quarried for roofing tiles, and the
quarrymen would save the fossils for later sale. Now that the quarries
are no longer open, future supplies of these wonderfully preserved
benthic organisms will only come from existing collections. |
