Platycrinites & Macrocrinus Crinoid Association - Illinois

This is a very interesting crinoid association from Crawfordsville, Indiana. There is a 1" long Platycrinites crown and 1.5" stem with an association of a Macrocrinus mundulus crown with a 2.8" stem. In addition, there is a small (.7") undescribed Inadunate crinoid crown and what looks to be a partial horn coral. All specimens are highly detailed and were prepared under microscope using air abrasives.

It comes with an acrylic display stand.

Identification by #:

#69 - Macrocrinus mundulus
#72 - Platycrinites brevinodus
#97 - Undescribed inadunate crinoid

Crinoids from the Ramp Creek Limestone were likely buried in sediment from nearby deltas during storms. The resulting siltstone deposits are soft enough that fossils can be extracted in exquisite, three-dimensional relief.

Crinoids, sometimes commonly referred to as sea lilies, are animals, not plants. They are echinoderms related to starfish, sea urchins, and brittle stars. Many crinoid traits are like other members of their phylum. Such traits include tube feet, radial symmetry, a water vascular system, and appendages in multiples of five (pentameral). They first appeared in the Ordovician (488 million years ago) and some species are still alive today.

About Crinoids