MACHAERIDIAN WORM

[pleecan (Peter Lee)]

A RARE PLATE FROM THE ARMOURED MACHAERIDIAN WORM PLUMULITES
FROM THE LLANDOVERY SILURIAN ROCKS OF SHROPSHIRE ENGLAND
Collected by Andy Cox from the British Silurian, Llandovery purple shales near Wenlock edge in Shropshire, this is an armoured plate from the Machearidian worm: Plumulites, sp., any remains of this Annelid are very rare from the UK, the plate is 7mm in length approx. with evidence of a second plate buried in the matrix next to it., the plate is showing good preserved detail.

[Joe Botting]

That's lovely, Peter.
As you say, it's not a common find at all in the UK, although I know there are some complete ones known from the Ordovician of that area, and I think there are some articulated arrays from the great historical collections of the Wenlock Limestone.
Personally, I've found - I think - 4 plates in total. The biggest was about a millimetre, and only spotted them on slabs collected for other things while on the microscope, so not exactly impressive. ;D

[pleecan (Peter Lee)]

Thanks Joe! Fossil is about 7mm I almost destroyed this fossil ... not knowing this was mudstone... immersed it in water and watched in horror in a second the fossil dissolving and falling apart... did sustain some damage at the periphery... but still intact.... there is a second intact worm under the first worm....

[Joe Botting]

Some mudstones are like that, I know... there's one site we work on that yields a wonderful dendroid fauna, but is in an ashy shale. Put water on (it's essential to increase contrast with these) and the rock simply falls apart before your eyes. It's quite scary.

Either crossed polarisers or alcohol are the solutions, generally.

[pleecan (Peter Lee)]

Thanks Joe for the suggestions : )