We've seen books on trilobites and even graptolites but now we
have the ultimate - a book strictly on the crinoids of the world!
In an attempt to be the first on my block to get this book I
ordered it directly from the publisher, Cambridge University
Press. Fossil Crinoids became available
towards the end of 1999 with a price of $74.95 for the 275-page
work. Hans Hess, William Ausich, Carlton Brett, and Michael Simms
are primary authors of Fossil Crinoids.
Other contributing authors include: D. Bradford Macurda, Stephen
Donovan, Wendy Taylor, Hans Hagdorn. René Kindlimann provided
illustrations.
Not all of the authors will be familiar to all readers so I'll
pass on some of the biographical information on them.
Hans Hess is affiliated with the Basel Natural History Museum. It
is my understanding that he is a well known amateur
paleontologist with an extensive and worldwide collection of
crinoids. Hess is the person that conceived of this book.
William Ausich is chairman and department head for Geological
Sciences at Ohio State University. Ausich is a frequent
collaborator with our own David Meyer.
Carlton Brett is professor of geology here at the University of
Cincinnati. Michael Simms is curator of paleontology at the
Ulster Museum in Belfast.
Amongst the other contributors are: Stephen Donovan, Keeper of
Paleontology at the Natural History Museum, London; from the
biographical information in Fossil Crinoids
it appears that Hans Hagdorn is another amateur with extensive
research credentials; René Kindlimann is responsible for line
drawn art and is another publishing amateur; D. Bradford Macurda
has been a professor at the University of Michigan and a noted
blastoid and crinoid expert; Wendy Taylor has been collections
manager at the Paleontological Research Institute. Her research
efforts include Paleozoic echinoderm fossil assemblages.
Fossil Crinoids is a twenty-nine chapter
book divided into two main parts: a general part and an
assemblages part. The general part contains the first five
chapters covering: Crinoid Form and Function; Systematics,
Phylogeny and Evolutionary History; Fossil occurrence; Taphonomy;
and Ecology and Ecological Interactions. Each chapter in the
remaining assemblages section deals with specific important
fossil crinoid assemblages organized in order from oldest to
youngest. The last chapter covers living Recent crinoids. Fossil
Crinoids is well organized and includes one appendix
illustrating the geologic time of occurrence for each crinoid
assemblage discussed and a second appendix that explains the
terms for rock types and their formation as used throughout the
book. A bibliography, a general index, and a taxonomic index end Fossil
Crinoids.
The publisher, the price, and the content of Fossil
Crinoids immediately says, "this is no coffee
table book of fluff and pretty pictures." No, this is a
professionally done work packed with a tremendous amount of
information on crinoids. The 56 pages of the general part
contains a quantity of information not normally found in any one
publication other than the Treatise on Invertebrate
Paleontology. The assemblages chapters are also not just
pretty pictures and drawings. They contain a lot of substance on
the ancient environments, how the crinoids lived, how they died,
and how they came to be so well preserved. Even if your interest
lies in only one particular grouping of crinoids (say
Cincinnatian or Crawfordsville for example) the other chapters
will still provide information pertinent to your area.
Fossil Crinoids is presented as a book
"for paleontologists, geologists, evolutionary and marine
biologists, ecologists, and amateur fossil collectors." I
will say that as for the amateur fossil collectors this work will
be most enjoyed by what I will loosely call "advanced
amateurs." My reasoning is simple. Fossil
Crinoids uses technical terms which are not
necessarily defined in context nor in a glossary. This could
leave some beginning collectors scratching their heads. The other
side of this coin is the one I like to promote - learning. I am
an advocate of learning by stretching your abilities and doing so
by reading above your current level of understanding. Don't let a
few big words scare you away from this (or any other) book.
It is worth taking some time here to complement the authors and
contributors on the quality of their photographs and
illustrations. I didn't count but I'd guess that there are over
100 photographs of outstandingly preserved fossil crinoids. A
small section at the beginning contains a dozen color photographs
of both living and fossil crinoids. The line drawings are used to
best advantage in illustrating the reconstructed life forms of
fossil crinoids.
Well, I suppose I should let you in on just which outstanding
fossil crinoid assemblages are included. The major assemblages
covered individually by chapter are: Middle Ordovician Trenton of
New York; Middle Ordovician of Lake Simcoe Ontario, Canada; Upper
Ordovician of Cincinnati, Ohio; Silurian of Gotland, Sweden;
Middle Silurian Rochester Shale of New York and Ontario, Canada;
Silurian - Devonian boundary of Morocco; Lower Devonian
Manlius/Coeymans Formation of central New York; Lower Devonian
Hunsrück Slate of Germany; Middle Devonian Windom Shale of
Vincent, New York; Middle Devonian Arkona Shale of Ontario,
Canada and the Silica Shale of Ohio; Lower Mississippian Hampton
Formation at LeGrand, Illinois; Lower Mississippian Burlington
Limestone in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri; Lower Missippian of
Crawfordsville, Indiana; Upper Pennsylvanian LaSalle member of
central Illinois; the Permian; Triassic Muschelkalk of central
Europe; Lower Jurassic of southern England; Lower Jurassic
Posidonia Shale of southern Germany; Middle Jurassic of southern
England; Middle Jurassic of northern Switzerland; Upper Jurassic
Solnhofen Plattenkalk of Germany; Uintacrinus beds of
the Upper Cretaceous Niobrara formation in Kansas; Tertiary; and
Recent. Chapter three discusses worldwide fossil assemblages that
did not merit full chapter coverage in the Assemblage section of
the book.
Looking at the Cincinnatian chapter that is of personal and local
interest I will say that I wish it had been longer and more
inclusive. However, as much as we love our local specimens it is
hard to compare with the likes of Crawfordsville, et. al.,
and it is understandable that the authors devoted more space to
some of the more spectacular assemblages.
Bill Ausich of Ohio State authored the Cincinnatian chapter. He
briefly explains the geographic setting, age, and environment of
the Cincinnatian. A more detailed and readable description is
presented about the depositional environment as it changed from
the Kope through the Maysvillian and the Richmondian. Here Ausich
explains the cycles of changing sea level right up to the
terminal glaciation event that ended the Ordovician. Preservation
of crinoid assemblages in the Cincinnatian and the role of
periodic storm generated deposits is explained. Crinoids
mentioned in this chapter include the two Cincinnaticrinus
species, Ohiocrinus, Ectenocrinus, Glyptocrinus,
Pycnocrinus, Gaurocrinus, Cupulocrinus, Xenocrinus and the
multi-plated crinoid holdfast Lichenocrinus.
Cincinnaticrinus, Ohiocrinus, Glyptocrinus and
Pycnocrinus are discussed in some detail. Included are some
really fine line drawings of "living" Cincinnaticrinus
and Pycnocrinus.
I obviously can't get into detail about all of the crinoids and
information covered in Fossil Crinoids.
One of the memorable highlights that stuck in my mind included
evidence of color preservation in a number of crinoids in many
geologic ages (Chapter 4 Taphonomy). Others included floating
crinoids of the Lower Devonian with a bulbous floatation device
for a holdfast (Chapter 11), Lower Jurassic floating crinoids
that hung pendant-like attached to driftwood (Chapters 22 and
23), and Jurassic crinoids with stems over 60 feet long (Chapter
23).
I have only one negative note to make. It concerns a single
misstatement in chapter two, Systematics, Phylogeny, and
Evolutionary History, by Simms. On page 36 Simms makes a
statement concerning features possessed by Dendrocrinine - a
Suborder of the Order Cladida. In part, Simms states that the
Dendrocrinine have certain features not possessed by another
group. The features he lists included "arm-base facets
extending the full width of the radials" and "rounded
or flat, usually uniserial pinnulate arms." These two
statements are precisely the opposite of the physiology of our
local Dendrocrinine crinoids: Dendrocrinus caduceus and
Plicodendrocrinus casei (which is why I knew there was a
problem). I discussed this briefly with David Meyer. He indicated
that I was indeed correct and that the misstatement relates to
problems with crinoid classification at higher taxonomic levels.
David will be publishing an upcoming review of Fossil
Crinoids for P.R.I.'s American Paleontologist
publication and will discuss this issue at a professional level
at that time.
Fossil Crinoids has my highest
recommendation to crinoid lovers everywhere. The book is written
by top-notch researchers who have done outstanding work in
presenting information in an easily readable style with a well
organized approach. Fossil Crinoids can
be special ordered through better book stores or directly from
the publisher on line at www.cup.org.
