This is the "Fossil Friday" post #213. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to [email protected]. Please include a short description or story. Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!
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For this week's Fossil Friday entry, we have a beautiful little horseshoe crab from Mazon Creek. This is a Euproops danae. E. danae was described in 1865 in "Notice of some new types of organic remains from the Coal Measures of Illinois" as Belinurus danae in the journal Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The paper was authored by Fielding. B, Meek and Amos. H, Worthen in 1865. Worthen used the image above in his famous Geologic Survey of Illinois.
E. danae was later moved to the genus Euproops in 1994 by Lyall I. Anderson in "Xiphosurans from the Westphalian D of the Radstock Basin, Somerset Coalfield, the South Wales Coalfield and Mazon Creek, Illinois". Have a look at Mazon Monday #21 for more information.
This sweet little specimen comes to us from ESCONI member Andrew Young. He and Joan Bledig have been editors on the last three ESCONI Mazon Creek books by Jack Wittry. Andrew found this gorgeous guy in the Pit 3 locality. Thanks for sharing, Andrew!
