Shansiella, a gastropod - Fossils of Parks Township

This post is about particular specimens of Shansiella carbonaria. If you want to know more about the species, please read our research article Shansiella carbonaria. A comprehensive article about the origins of the genus with several plates and figures.

Catalog Number: CG-0014

Shansiella was first described by Yin in 1932. It can be identified as such by viewing it’s bands and a distinctive selenizone on the aperture opening.

There are large numbers of Gastropod samples to be found in Limestone and shale, but I rarely do I find ones that are as large as this one. This one was on the same rock that has the large Cephalopod (or maybe Sea Pen) embedded in it. This specimen came out in two pieces. The creature likely laid down half in a sediment layer, and the rest filled in the remaining space. The break of the middle laterally was on the layer plane. I glued it back together with some Paraloid B-72 after carefully removing it from the rock.

A new discovery? Almost.

At first, an apparent high spired shell shape and odd-looking selenizone gave some assumptions that this specimen did not belong here. However, an in-person review by long-time invertebrate experts helped settle on this specimen being from the genus Shansiella.