Name:
Isorophus cincinnatiensis Age: Upper Ordovician Formation: Fairmont Formation Location: Near Cincinnati, Ohio Size: Brachiopod is 1.15 inches across Price:$24.00
Here is a very unusual fossil echinoderm. This is a fine edrioasteroid, Isorophus cincinnatiensis, from the Ordovician of Ohio. Edrioasteroids were primitive echinoderms which consisted of a flexible theca composed of numerous polygonal plates. In this specimen, the large edrioasteroid has attached itself to a brachiopod. This is probably not a symbiotic relationship, nor was the brachiopod under attack - the aragonitic/calcitic shell of the brachiopod merely provided a hard substrate for the edrioasteroid to rest upon. The large edrioasteroid has great detail, color, and contrast and is well showcased on the Rafinesquina brachiopod. This is a very interesting fossil from the Ordovician.