FOSSILS SPECIMEN: BIVALVIA

Fossils are defined as any evidence of prehistoric life. There are two types of fossils: Body Fossils include remains of skeletal bones, shell, carapace, test and teeth. Trace Fossils are clues the organism existed such as footprints, tracks, burrows and coprolites (fossil dung).

The class: Bivalvia meaning “two valves or shells” are classified under the Kingdom: Animalia and Phylum: Mollusca. The group includes modern and fossil members of the groups commonly called pectin, lima, oysters, mussels, and clams. The earliest members of this class first appear in the fossil record during the Lower Cambrian and can be found all over the world today in the Holocene.

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Subclass: Autibranchia – Infraclass: Pteriomorphia – Order: Pectinida – Superfamily: Pectinoidea – Family: Pectinidae

(pectin)

Middle Ordovician to Holocene

Bivalve Carolinpectin eboreus 

Pectinidae (Scallops)

Tertiary-Pliocene-Piacenzian Tamiami FM-Pinecrest Member Florida

Bivalve Carolinpectin eboreus 

Pectinidae (Scallops)

Tertiary-Pliocene-Piacenzian Tamiami FM-Pinecrest Member Florida

Bivalve Pecten

Lower Cretaceous

Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas

Bivalve Pecten

Cretaceous (100 mya)

Gratson Marl Formation, Rayzor Ranch, Denton, Texas

Bivalve Pecten

Cretaceous (100 mya)

Gratson Marl Formation, Rayzor Ranch, Denton, Texas

Bivalve Pecten

Cretaceous (100 mya)

Gratson Marl Formation, Rayzor Ranch, Denton, Texas

Bivalve Pecten Neithea

Lower Cretaceous

Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas

Bivalve Pecten Neithea

Lower Cretaceous

Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Subclass: Autobrachia – Infraclass” Pteriomorphia – Order: Limida – Superfamily: Limoidea – Family: Limidae

(lima)

Jurassic to Holocene

Bivalve Lima

Lower Cretaceous

Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Order: Ostreida – Family: Gryphaeidae

(prehistoric oysters)

Early Triassic to Holocene

Bivalve Exogyra ponderosa

Late Cretaceous

Sulfur River, North Texas

Bivalve Exogyra tigris

Cretaceous

Texas

Bivalve Texigryphaea

Lower Cretaceous

Texas

Bivalve Texigryphaea

Lower Cretaceous

The Waco Pit, Waco, Texas

Bivalve Gryphaea

Jurassic

Bivalve Gryphaea “Devil’s Toenail”

Lower Cretaceous

Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas

Bivalve Ceratostreon texanum

(formerly Exogyra texana)

Lower Cretaceous

Kerrville, Texas

Bivalve Ilymatogyra arietina (Ram’s Horn Oyster)

Cretaceous

Buda, Formation, Comstock, Texas

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Subclass: Autobrachia – Infraclass: Pteriomorphia – Order: Ostreidae

(true oysters)

Middle Jurassic to Holocene

Bivalve Rastellum (Arcotrea)

Carinatum Lamarck

Cretaceous

Denton Clays McLennon County, Texas, United States

Bivalve Rastellum sp.

(Lateral View)

Cretaceous

Texas, United States

Bivalve Rastellum sp.

(Dorsal View)

Cretaceous

Texas, United States

Bivalve Lopha (Ostreoidea)

Cretaceous

Texas

Bivalve (Oyster)

Ostrea falcata 

Cretaceous

United States

Bivalve Fossil Oyster

Cenozoic

North America

Bivalve

Gyrostrea

Cretaceous

Texas, United States

Bivalve

Gyrostrea

Cretaceous

Texas, United States

Bivalve

Gyrostrea

Cretaceous

Texas, United States

Bivalve Oysters 

Lopha bellaplicata bellaplicata

Post Oak Creek south of Sherman Texas United States

Bivalve Oysters in Matrix

Lopha bellaplicata bellaplicata 

Post Oak Creek south of Sherman Texas United States

Bivalve Oysters 

Lopha bellaplicata bellaplicata

Post Oak Creek south of Sherman Texas United States

Bivalve Peilinia crenulimargo

Lower Cretaceous

Kerrville, Texas

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Subclass: Probranchia – Order: Nuculoida

(saltwater clams)

Middle Carboniferous to Holocene

Bivalve Paleyoldia

Pennsylvanian

(Upper Carboniferous)

Finis Shale, Graham Formation, Jacksboro, Jack County, Texas

Bivalve Palaeoneilo oweni

Pennsylvanian

(Upper Carboniferous)

Finis Shale, Graham Formation, Jacksboro, Jack County, Texas

Bivalve Paleyoldia

Pennsylvanian

Jacksboro, Jack County, Texas

Bivalve Nucula (internal cast)

Lower Cretaceous

Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Subclass: Autobranchia – Infraclass: Heteroconchia – Order: Cardiida

(marine bivalve clams)

Middle Carboniferous to Holocene

Bivalve Astartella varica

Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous)

Finis Shale, Graham Formation, Jacksboro, Jack County, Texas

Bivalve Astartella varica

Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous)

west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas

Bivalve Protocardia texana

Cretaceous

Texas

Bivalve Protocardia (internal cast)

Lower Cretaceous

Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas

Bivalve Protocardia (internal cast)

Lower Cretaceous

Kerrville County, Texas

Bivalve Protocardia (internal cast)

Lower Cretaceous

Kerrville, Texas

Bivalve Cyprimeria texana internal cast

Lower Cretaceous

Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas

Bivalve Artica (internal cast)

Lower Cretaceous

Kerrville, Texas

Bivalve Pteropsella lapidosa

Eocene

Stone City Formation, Bryan, Texas

Bivalve Venericardia rotunda

Eocene

Stone City Formation, Bryan, Texas

Bivalve Cardium hians

Pliocene

Zanclean, Spain, Bonares (Huelva)

Collected by Andrzej Gorski, 2005

Bivalve Arcinella arcinella

(spiney jewel box)

Calusa Mine Pit, Ruskin, Florida

Bivalve Crassatella bellovacensis

Eocene

Thenetien France, Abbecourt

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Subclass: Autobranchia – Infraclass: Pteriomorphia – Order: Myalinida

(mussels)

Middle Carboniferous to Holocene

Bivalve Myalina

Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous)

Finis Shale, Graham Formation, Jacksboro, Jack County, Texas

Bivalve Matrix

Cretaceous

Wyoming, North America

Bivalve

Cretacous

North America

Bivalve Inoceramus Shell Fragment

Cretaceous

West, Texas

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Subclass: Autobranchia – Infraclass: Heteroconchia – Order: Hippuritida

(rudist clams)

Cretaceous

Bivalve Hippuritida (Rudist Clams)

Core Natural Cast

Lower Cretaceous

Kerrville, Texas

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Subclass: Autobranchia – Infraclass: Heteroconchia – Order: Trigoniida

(ridged clams)

Cretaceous

Bivalve Trigonia

Lower Cretaceous

Kerrville, Texas

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Superorder: Imparidentia – Order: Adapedonta – Family: Hiatellidae

(wrinkled rock-borer, arctic hiatella, and arctic saxicave)

Cretaceous to Holocene

Bivalve Hiatella artica

Late Pleistocene/Holocene limit

Champlain See sediments Quebec, Canada

Found by Mario Cournoyer and Nathalie Daoust (PaleoVision) 1994

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Subclass: Autobranchia – Infraclass: Pteriomorphia – Order: Arcida

(arks)

Cretaceous to Holocene

Bivalve Barbatia uxorispalmeri

Eocene

Stone City Formation, Bryan, Texas

Bivalve Arcalinga pensylvanica

Cenozoic

Florida, United States

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Subclass: Pterygota – Infraclass: Neoptera – Order: Hemiptera

(jinggle shells)

Cretaceous to Holocene

Bivalve Anomia ephippioides

Eocene

“Whiskey Bridge” Site

Stone City Formation, Bryan, Texas

Bivalve Anomia ephippium

Pliocene

Zanclean, Spainm Bonares (Huelva) Col Andrzej Gorski, 2005 www.amberqabg.com

Bivalve Anomia argentaria (Morton)

Cenozoic

Hollywood Road. Clack County, Arkansas

Found in mud bank in road ditch

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Subclass: Autobranchia – Infraclass: Heteroconchia – Order: Solenida

(saltwater clams)

Lower Cretaceous to Holocene

Bivalve Leptosolen (internal cast)

Lower Cretaceous

Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas

Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalvia “two valves or shells” – Subclass: Autobrachia – Infraclass: Heteroconchia – Order: Pholadida

(smooth clams)

Cretaceous

Bivalve Caryocorbula deusseni

Eocene

Stone City Formation, Bryan, Texas

Bivalve Notocorbula texana

Eocene

Stone City Formation, Bryan, Texas

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