1st Edition
The Ecphoras Iconic Fossils of Eastern North America
In the Miocene and Pliocene fossil shell beds of the eastern United States, the single most spectacular molluscan species radiation is seen in the ecphora shells (the Tribe Ecphorini). These bizarrely shaped gastropods, with their distinctive ribbed shell sculpture, represent a separate branch of the Subfamily Ocenebridae, Family Muricidae. Characteristically, these muricid gastropods are heavily ornamented with spiral ribs and cords and are considered some of the most beautiful and interesting groups of fossil mollusks found along the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Floridian Peninsula. The ecphoras are greatly sought after by fossil collectors.
The ecphora faunas, and their individual species and subspecies, are illustrated and described in detail, along with photographs of ecphora-bearing geological units and in-situ specimens. The authors list the 67 known species and subspecies that are recognized as valid, arranged by the eight genera and five subgenera that encompass these taxa.
Acknowledgments.
Introduction: The Ecphoras: Eastern North America’s Iconic Fossils.
Chapter 1: Systematics and Classification of the Ecphoras.
Chapter 2: Ecphoras as Stratigraphic Index Fossils.
Chapter 3: The Siphonate and Rapaniform Ecphoras.
Chapter 4: The genus trisecphora petuch, 1988 and its subgenera.
Chapter 5: The genus ecphora conrad, 1843 and its subgenera.
Chapter 6: The genus planecphora petuch, 2004.
Chapter 7: The genus globecphora petuch, 1994.
Chapter 8: The genus latecphora petuch, 1988.
References.
Systematic index.
Index of ecphora-bearing geologic units.
About the authors.
Biography
Edward J. Petuch
"Petuch’s 1988 book Field Guide to the Ecphoras is nearly impossible to find for purchase and this updated version will be a welcomed addition to palaeontological libraries not only in the eastern United States but everywhere. The book is a complete geologic history of the ecphoras but also covers their paleoecology and natural history well. Considering that this group is extinct, the comprehensive coverage is marvellous. Furthermore, writing easily understandable geologic, palaenotologic, and systematic descriptions has always been a hallmark of Ed Petuch’s papers and books and this book is no exception."
Lindsey Groves, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Collection Manager Malacology
