Taeniaster beneckei
Phylum Echinodermata, Subphylum Asterozoa, Class Ophiuroidea
Geological Time: Lower Devonian, Seigenian/Emsian Stage
Size (25.4 mm = 1 inch): Fossil is 14 mm by 28 mm on a 50 mm by 80 mm matrix
Fossil Site: Hunsruck Slate, Bundenbach Germany
Code: GF63
Price: $135.00
 Description:
Well-preserved example 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. |
