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Ventral valve
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Euryspirifer coxi
Phylum: Brachiopod
Genus: Euryspirifer Species: Euryspirifer coxi Location found: Reefton |
Euryspirifer coxi is one of the most distinctive brachiopods from there Devonian rocks of the Reefton area, with its strongly ribbed shell, its wide wings, large beak and clear sulcus (the central dip in the shell, that extends from the beak). Like other New Zealand taxa, it has changed its name over time, and was previously known as both Acrospirifer coxi and Spirifer coxi. Under the last of these names, Allan (1947) gives a detailed description and provides photographs. It often occurs in close clusters (see image below) and may be over-represented in fossil collections because it is robust and thus survives better than other taxa, and is readily seen and identified. Specimens from Reefton, however, are often deformed by post-depositional compression.
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Further Reading: Allan, R.S. 1947 A revision of the Brachiopoda of the Lower Devonian strata of Reefton, New Zealand. Journal of Palanteology 21 (5), 436-452. |