“Horn corals” are solitary rugose fossil corals of Paleozoic age. They are common fossils in certain parts of the world, for example, the eastern United States. This post focuses on two species of the fossil genus Lophophyllidium.
Classification
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Subclass Rugosa
Order Stauriidae
Family Lophophyllidiiae
Genus Lophophyllidum
Figure 1. Lophophyllidium spinosum
This “horn coral” species, which is found mainly in central North America, is Pennsylvanian age (about 320 million years old). It is cone-shaped and the wrinkled outer wall of its exoskeleton is covered with distinct small spines.
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Figure 2. Lophophyllidium proliferum
This species of “horn coral,” is also found mainly in central North America, is Pennsylvanian to Permian age and, therefore, slightly younger in geologic age than L. spinosum mentioned above. Lophophyllidium prolilerum has a central columella (a central column on the upper surface of the specimen that projects upward) but does not have spiny ornamentation; rather it has closed spaced riblets (without any spines).
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