Name:
Castericystis vali Age: Cambrian Formation: Wheeler Formation Location: Millard County, Utah Size: Carpoid is 2 inches long This specimen is not for sale Click here for similar specimens that are for sale
Here is a fine example of a carpoid from the Middle Cambrian. This primitive echinoderm is Castericystis vali from Utah. Carpoids are extremely unusual echinoderms and quite rare in the fossil record. This example exhibits very fine detail. The long stele is wonderfully preserved and tightly articulated with the theca. The plates of the theca are ornamented with tiny granules. The lone arm (typical of carpoids) is intact and displays wonderful plate structure. The black fossil contrasts nicely with the gray matrix. It is almost perfectly centered on the squared plate of shale. This is an excellent specimen of this unusual echinoderm.