Primitive echinoderm - solved!!! - Fossilised animal - Plasiacystis mobilis (Prokop & Petr, 2003) - 83 mm - 53 mm (No Reserve Price)
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Plasiacystis mobilis (Prokop & Petr, 2003) is a Lower Ordovician primitive echinoderm (Tremadociense – Fezouata formation), a natural-condition specimen weighing 193 g and measuring 35 × 30 mm (approximately 60 mm when unrolled), provided in a plastic case.
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Description from the seller
A spectacular nodule containing a complete specimen of Plasiacystis mobilis, a primitive and enigmatic echinoderm that lived during the Ordovician period. The specimen is perfectly preserved. Plasiacystis is a primitive echinoderm belonging to the soluta group. It had an ovoid body, a laterally inserted feeding appendage, and a twisted and flattened dististele. These animals are interpreted as active epibenthic feeders that used their dististele to crawl on soft substrates.
Specimens with this level of preservation are extremely rare. The contrast between the fossils and the surrounding matrix is spectacular. The extraordinary preservation of the fossils allows for a detailed examination of the delicate structures of Nimchacystis. Preparing the specimens was extremely laborious, as the fossils are exceptionally fragile. A museum-worthy specimen.
Measurements of rolled-up Plasiacystis: 35 x 30 mm
Approximate length of Plasiacystis (uncoiled): 60 mm
Plastic box included.
The deposits of the Fezouata formation, near the Moroccan city of Zagora, are providing a rich and diverse record of fossils with extraordinary preservation, up to soft tissues or soft-bodied animals being recorded fairly frequently. This type of preservation is similar, although later in time, to that of the famous Burgess Shale site (Canada).
These are fossils dating from between 480 and 472 million years ago. At that time, Morocco was an ocean and was located over the South Pole.
A spectacular nodule containing a complete specimen of Plasiacystis mobilis, a primitive and enigmatic echinoderm that lived during the Ordovician period. The specimen is perfectly preserved. Plasiacystis is a primitive echinoderm belonging to the soluta group. It had an ovoid body, a laterally inserted feeding appendage, and a twisted and flattened dististele. These animals are interpreted as active epibenthic feeders that used their dististele to crawl on soft substrates.
Specimens with this level of preservation are extremely rare. The contrast between the fossils and the surrounding matrix is spectacular. The extraordinary preservation of the fossils allows for a detailed examination of the delicate structures of Nimchacystis. Preparing the specimens was extremely laborious, as the fossils are exceptionally fragile. A museum-worthy specimen.
Measurements of rolled-up Plasiacystis: 35 x 30 mm
Approximate length of Plasiacystis (uncoiled): 60 mm
Plastic box included.
The deposits of the Fezouata formation, near the Moroccan city of Zagora, are providing a rich and diverse record of fossils with extraordinary preservation, up to soft tissues or soft-bodied animals being recorded fairly frequently. This type of preservation is similar, although later in time, to that of the famous Burgess Shale site (Canada).
These are fossils dating from between 480 and 472 million years ago. At that time, Morocco was an ocean and was located over the South Pole.
Details
Number of items
1
Specimen
Primitive echinoderm - solved!!!
Scientific name
Plasiacystis mobilis (Prokop & Petr, 2003)
Country of Origin
Bou Chrebeb, Zagora, Morocco
Geological Period
Lower Ordovician, Tremadocian - Fezouata Formation
Condition
Natural
Weight
193 g
Height
83 mm
Width
53 mm
Depth
47 mm
