Catskill Formation 2024

[Paul1719]

All spring I have been trying to find a time to go back to PA. That shouldn't be a big deal for a retired guy but I run a little backyard farm and that sucks time like … no tomorrow!

Anyways, me and my son Ian decided we'd go for father's day. Main goal was to go back to Red Hill and see what was left in the layer above the railroad tracks. If I had to give advice to a young person or even not so young, take up rock climbing! It's so much fun and learning rope skills should be a life skill for paleontologists! This was suppose to be the trip Ian actually does the repelling but seeing I knew what we wanted and it is suppose to be illegal to be in the rr bed we decided that I'd just do it. The blocks were pretty lose so once I was tied in it was pretty easy to free them. Fortunately there is a shelf with a fairly soft  talis about 20 feet below for them to bounce so when they make the final 20 foot drop a lot of the kinetic energy has been taken out. Again this lag layer did not disappoint. Preservation is pretty remarkable. There isn't a lot of articulated plates but enough to make an outstanding trip! It is interesting that if I had to guess about 80% Megalichthys material! This is clearly a lag deposit so should represent everything that is in the water. 

 

Megalichthys Postparietal shield. Made of 3 very clearly discernable elements on either side, postparietals, supratemporal and tabular. The sigmoidal sensory canals are very clearly visible on the posterior  ends of the postparietals and tabulars. The lack of sensory pores is a diagnostic characteristic for M mullsoni. Anterior to the top. Scale bar in cm.

This is another snout (see my previous post). Premaxilla at bottom with the typical mess of postrostral and nasal plates and then the anterior ends of the parietals above center. Between the other ends of the parietals would be the pineal series which is another synapomorphy of M mullisoni (see previous post)

This is a full dermal surface of a Megalichthys jaw only missing a small bit of the articular (extreme left).  Have not been able to find any signs of teeth, at least parasymphysial (top right). Maybe only dermal plates although I'd be shocked they stayed together without the rest of the mandible. 

 

 

[Fossildude19]

Great finds, Paul!

 

Glad to see you got back out there finally!

[Paul1719]

Thanks Tim! It was definitely a great Fathers day weekend! 

Megalichthys is a pretty derived Osteolepid (I think it survives to the Permian) but it retains much of the characteristics of the stem sarcopterygians which should only be in public collections anyways. More to come

[bockryan]

Fantastic material, well done! Rock climbing and paleontology synergize pretty nicely 

[Paul1719]

A couple more things from Red Hill

 

This is the right half of a postparietal shield. Again, the synapomorphy for M mullisoni of the open canal between the PP and the tabular clearly visible

Principle gular (right) with just a small bit missing from the anterior tip (left).

[Paul1719]

And this might help

[Paul1719]

This lower jaw popped out of a rock I was splitting. Missing the articular and a small bit of the parasymphysial but otherwise complete. Possibly because it was from a young individual, the sutures are exceptionally clear! Previous jaw has not shown any signs of teeth so far. 

[Shellseeker]

Thanks Paul, being a complete novice in this space, I always like to get a view of what we are discussing.  This on "X",  

 

 

[Paul1719]

That's amazing! what species did they say? 

[Shellseeker]

4 hours ago, Paul1719 said:

That's amazing! what species did they say? 

 

On "X",  posted and commented by