Erieopterus sp. An important specimen recovered from transitional Thacher/Olney limestones just south of Syracuse, New York. Note the carapace in the upper right portion of the photo and the brachiopods (Howellella vanuxemi) in the lower left.
The specimen was actually collected just above (Chrysler) Unit I along I-81 where a great sequence of Early Devonian strata is exposed. See Ciurca, 1978, for a description of the stratigraphy of the eurypterid-bearing units. In other units of the sequence, algal (stromatolitic) bioherms and biostromes are important elements. The squarish structure that surrounds the eyes in the above photo is of unknown origin (there is no evidence of salt hopper structures within the Erieopterus-bearing strata of New York. On this slab are also many other fossils, perhaps ostracods, that are very poorly preserved due to decalcification of their shells. Rocks in the exposed section are in an area of transition (westward) of limestones into dolostones of various grades. |
