FOSSIL LOBSTER MECOCHIRUS ORNATUS CONCRETION FROM THE JURASSIC OF NORTHERN GERMANY *CRUX040

Product Description

From a very old Germany collection (hand-typed collection tag included) comes this fascinating fossil lobster Mecochirus ornatus, from the Middle Jurassic.  It comes from a long closed source in Northern Germany and it is the only example we have ever had or seen for sale.  We acquired it as an unprepared solid concretion and did all the preparation work with modern air scribes in our on-site lab.  It was amazing to see the detail being exposed as the rock was removed.  Every tiny pustule on the carapace is preserved as are the segments, fan-shaped tail and the delicate appendages off the head.  It was the only one in the collection we purchased so sadly, there are no more to offer once this one sells.  100% GENUINE with NO REPAIR, FABRICATION OR CARVING! 

Mecochirus ornatus is an extinct member of the diverse group of arthropods called DECAPODA.  Decapods comprise lobster, shrimp, prawns and crabs.  The majority of Solnhofen crustaceans are shrimp such as Aeger sp..  Lesser crustacean fauna of the decapods are classified as REPTANTIANS.  Reptantians include crayfish, lobster and crabs and are identified by the first of the three pairs of pincered walking legs, being the largest.  Eryma  is not a shrimp but is classified as a lobster and is the oldest true lobster.  Lobster, shrimp and prawns all possess an elongated, segmented body with a flexible carapace covering the thorax and head.  Other basic traits are the presence of multiple pairs of limbs and a fan-like tail.  Because of the lightness and loose articulation of a decapod's carapace, intact preservation of the entire creature is quite rare and the abundance of the animal in the fossil layers is most often represented by partial or poorly preserved specimens.