Plumalina plumaria
Problematic fossils (“problematica”) are
much celebrated by paleontologists for their odd morphologies, unusual
preservation styles, and the phylogenetic insights they may provide.
Problematic fossils, as the term suggests, represent organisms whose taxonomic
classifications are unclear or controversial.
Shown below is soft-bodied fossil that was first
described & named in the 1850s, but is still considered a problematicum in
the modern literature. This is a soft-bodied frond called Plumalina
plumaria Hall, 1858. Workers usually assign this organism to the
hydrozoans (Phylum Cnidaria, Class Hydrozoa) or the gorgonarians (Phylum
Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa, Order Gorgonaria), but it’s probably safest to
refer to it as “Incertae Sedis” (“uncertain
placement”).
Plumalina plumaria Hall, 1858 (6.3 cm tall) in quartzose siltstone,
weathered from the South Wales Member of the lower Perrysburg Formation
(Canadaway Group, Upper Devonian) of western New York State, USA.
Locality:
railroad cut on southern side of railroad adjacent to Rt. 26, southeastern side
of Almond Lake, just northwest of Hornell, western Steuben County, western New
York State, USA.