F036 - RARE GRADE PHOLIDOPHORUS FISH FOSSIL ON LIMESTONE SLAB FROM SOLNHOFEN

Product Description

ITEM # 

F036

ID

Pholidophorus sp.

FOUND

Solnhofen Plattenkalk - Eichstatt, Germany

AGE

JURASSIC:  160 million years ago

SIZE

21" x 10.5" overall, fish 12" long

CONDITION

FISH INLAID IN UNBROKEN PLATE - NO FABRICATION
OF THE FISH FOSSIL.  HEAVY SCALE AND FIN 
PRESERVATION.

NOTE

ATTRACTIVE, RARE FISH FOSSIL ON LARGE 
LIMESTONE PLATE - VERY SCARCE SPECIES!!!

STAND INCLUDED - Actual Item - One Only

Comes with a certificate of authenticity / information sheet

This is a very uncommon and fine grade specimen of the extinct fish Pholidophorus.  Pholidophorus is known for its thick enameloid skull bones and primitive ganoid scales (rhomboid, interlocking peg-and-socket scales of ancient origin).  These unique features are perfectly preserved and displayed in this specimen.  The specimen's exceptional detail can be attributed to the meticulous MANUAL HAND PREPARATION in the manner that museum fossils were prepared a hundred years ago.  This is a rare fish from the Solnhofen formation and is seldom found on the market and if so, rarely in this quality of preservation and complete without restoration.  This superb example is both rare for an advanced collector but is also a highly aesthetic piece.  The color of the fossil is natural and contrasts well with the ivory white hue of the limestone matrix.  A perfect specimen for displaying the emergence and lineage of primitive fish that have no living counterparts today.  

Pholidophorus is a member of the group Pholidophorids (meaning 'scale bearer').  These fish have unique and primitive features that separate them from modern bony fish.  These features include a skull made up of thick enameloid bones and ganoid scales which are rhomboid in shape and have a peg and a socket that interlock and articulate with each other like body armor.  The upper jaw could move as in modern teleosts.  Also like teleosts (bony fishes), Pholidophorids had a spinal column made up of hollow bony vertebrae with spines and ribs attached.  They were swift predatory fish that were capable of fast attacks and maneuvers.

The scales of holosteans are a blend of a rhomboid and cycloid profile.  Caturus had scales that are more to cycloid in nature.  Another feature of the holosteans is the presence of a fully functional swim bladder enabling neutral buoyancy compared to the earlier chondrosteans where fin movement was required to maintain a stationary position despite the presence of a swim bladder, albeit a smaller, barely functional one. 

Some of the largest dinosaurs that ever walked the earth were in existence when Caturus swam in the ancient seas alongside massive plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs!

Famous for producing an astonishing diversity of rare and most intricately preserved fossils found anywhere in the world, the Jurassic lithographic limestone deposits of southern Germany are legendary.  Quarries in the region are privately held and mostly worked by hand on a small scale.  The finest grade fossils are few and far between and much rock must be split to locate them.  The best fossils are most often kept by the quarry owners who themselves, are often collectors.  Some quarries are operated on a large scale but these are now dug with machinery instead of manual labor.  Because of this the rock is damaged and along with it, the rare fossils.  What all this means today is that even fewer fine grade Solnhofen fossils are found and when they are, rarely do the best pieces make it to market.  Occasionally, an old private collection surfaces and specimens are sold or traded.  This is where the rare opportunity comes along to acquire a specimen on a level that truly is a prize find.  Typically, the older material is often the best as it was collected when the deposits were first being worked and quality was in greater abundance.

SPECIAL NOTE:   We have noticed an increasing occurrence of undisclosed work in heavily restored and modified examples in the marketplace and auctions of many Solnhofen fossils.  It is becoming commonplace to take a smooth slab of Solnhofen quarry limestone and assemble, carve and/or paint parts or entire creatures where no fossil existed.  Restoration is OK if it is disclosed but much of this work is not disclosed, either out of deception or ignorance of the dealer.  When purchasing fossils, it is important to only deal with extremely knowledgeable sellers who have experience in fossil preparation as well as restoration and repair so they are capable of identifying what work has been performed to the fossils they offer and disclose this work to their customers.  Sadly, a great deal of bad material is being sold as good to unsuspecting buyers.  The staff at Paleo Direct operates several paleontological preparation labs and is experienced in the full realm of fossil preparation, repair and restoration.