Name: Scyphocrinites sp. aff. elegans
Age: Upper Silurian
Size: (25.4mm=1 inch): Crown: 150 mm long by 132 mm wide Stem: 38 mm,on a 268 by 228 mm matrix.
Location: Djebel Issoumour, Alnif, Morocco
 Description:
Well-preserved example of a distinctive Camerate crinoid type. This large example
is of the genus Scyphocrinites (Family Scyphocrinitidae). Scyphocrinites was a
cosmopolitan crinoid with examples found of similar ages in the United States,
Africa, Europe, and Asia. It has an intricate calyx with many stellate plates.
A bulbous structure called Camarocrinus has been associated with these crinoids,
and is the reason for its widespread existence in the Upper Silurian/Lower Devonian.
This structure is believed to be a float, with the crinoid leading a pelagic existence,
allowing it to cover much territory. They are sometimes found in mass associations.
This is a fine example of this variety of Camerate crinoid to be found in the
late Silurian deposits of Morocco, with much detail to the calyx, and many fine
pinnules present. |
