FINE DOUBLE CRINOID PLATE. ...

Description

FINE DOUBLE CRINOID PLATE
Macrocrinus mundulus
Mississipian epoch, Osagean stage
Crawfordsville, Montgomery county, Indiana
The crinoid fossils of Crawfordsville have been collected for over 150 years and are famous for boasting over 100 species of crinoids and echinoderms; such diversity in the same formation (and occasionally on the same piece of matrix) is extremely rare and the crinoids of that site are highly desirable amongst both collectors and museums. This limestone plate has two beautiful specimens of the crinoid Macrocrinus mundulus in situ; each one is remarkably detailed with highly textured stems, calyx, and arms. The crinoid stems have fine rooting structures branching off of them and several of the arms feature pinnules, which give them a feather-like appearance. Even more remarkable is that each has its anal tube preserved and fully extended; a preservation unique to a handful of sites around the world. Each of the crinoid crowns measures over 2 inches and the limestone matrix plate measures 6 x 7 ½ inches.

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