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Name:
Calocystites jewetti
Age: Middle Silurian
Formation: Rochester Shale
Location: Middleport, New York
Size: Plate is 6.5 inches tall
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This is a very special echinoderm fossil. It is a plate of Calocystites jewetti cystoids from the Silurian Rochester Shale of New York State. This fossil is extremely rare due to the unusual completeness of the cystoids. Both specimens have their holdfasts preserved, one of which is attached to a bryozoan colony base. In life, these cystoids ''rooted'' to bryozoan colonies on the sea floor, and positioned their crowns in the currents with their arms open searching for food. Usually, these delicate creatures disarticulated quickly upon death, leaving behind scattered pieces and parts. But on extremely rare occasions, these echinoderms were buried so rapidly that the animals were entombed and preserved fully intact. That is the case with this specimen. The top cystoid looks like it softly laid down on the sea floor substrate, with some splayed arms still gathering food! Both specimens also have excellent plate structure preserved on the egg-shaped thecae. This is an absolutely beautiful, top quality plate of Middle Silurian cystoids.
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