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Name:
Multiple Crinoid Plate
Age: Mississippian
Formation: Edwardsville Formation
Location: Crawfordsville, Indiana
Size: Plate is 9.5" X 9.7"
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This is one of the highest variety crinoid plates we have ever had. It is a multiple slab of crinoids from Crawfordsville, Indiana. There are FIVE crinoids on this plate - all of different types! The smaller crinoids on the plate are (from left to right) Histocrinus coreyi, Onychocrinus ulrichi, Actinocrinites gibsoni, and Cyathoctinites iowensis. But the real prize on this plate is the large, center crinoid, Platycrinites saffordi. This camerate crinoid has a cup composed of large, ornamented plates and heavily pinnulated, biserial arms - this 3-dimensional specimen exhibits all of these features in fine fashion. The plate structure of the crinoid is clearly defined, and the long arms, with their many pinnules, are beautifully displayed. But the striking feature of this crinoid is the unique, twisted, ''corkscrew'' stem (indicative of the genus) still tightly attached to the base of the cup! But that's not all - there is a large gastropod, Platyceras, attached to the cup. This gastropod fed off the excrement from the crinoid, and in doing so, kept the environment clean so that the crinoid could keep living. This is a rare example of a true symbiotic relationship in the fossil record. Wow! All of the crinoids are extremely 3-dimensional and are totally natural to the plate - none of the specimens have been composited or ''added on''. The echinoderms are wonderfully spaced on the large display plate of siltstone. This is a very rare example of FIVE different fossilized crinoids on the same plate.
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