Elaeacrinus verneuili (Roemer)
Blastoid

 
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One of my life long goals was finding a loose, well-preserved Elaeacrinus verneuili (Roemer)
blastoid. On 11-19-05 while collecting at the Coopers Lane quarry in southern Indiana I found
one. I have collected several in limestone, but this is the first that is loose. The odd feature
with this blastoid is the raised plate around the anal pore. Looking over Robert O. Fay's report
in "Blastoid Studies" [Univeristy of Kansas Paleontological Studies, Echindodermata, Article 3,
published in 1961] this feature seems to be anomolous. It does not appear to be a result of
distortion of the blastoid after death, but appears to be a growth feature.

The specimen was sitting quietly on a limestone ledge in a part of the quarry stripped and
ready to be blasted. Heavy rain over the past few weeks may have contributed to its exposure.
There was no residual soil surrounding it. It was like a limestone marble on a limestone table.
From a distance it would not have been visible, but I had my nose to the surface looking for
crinoid columns to give to a California museum.

Alan Goldstein

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