English: Lingula permiana Stauffer & Schroyer, 1920 - fossil brachiopod in shale from the Pennsylvanian of Ohio, USA.

The Upper Pennsylvanian to Lower Permian Dunkard Group of Ohio contains the youngest bedrock in the entire state. The unit consists of two stratigraphic formations: the Washington Formation (below) and the Greene Formation (above). This is a cyclothemic, nonmarine succession principally composed of shales, sandstones, lacustrine limestones, and thin coal beds.

The fossil shown above is a lingulid inarticulate brachiopod. Lingulids first appear in Cambrian rocks and are still alive in today's oceans. They have a two-part, chitinophosphatic shell. The shells are subtriangular to elongated/tongue-shaped. Apart from concentric growth lines, they have no shell ornamentation. Soft parts are present between the shells and a long, vermiform pedicle extends from between the shells and into soft sediments. Lingulids are infaunal, filter-feeding organisms and occupy shallow shelf to intertidal zone environments. Fossil lingulids can be associated with burrows/trace fossils - in other words, lingulid brachiopod fossils are sometimes found in-situ, at the bottoms of their original living burrows.

Classification: Animalia, Brachiopoda, Inarticulata (a.k.a. "Linguliformea"), Lingulida, Lingulidae

Stratigraphy: fine-grained siliciclastic interval between the lower and upper "benches" of the Washington Coal, lower Washington Formation, lower Dunkard Group, Upper Pennsylvanian

Locality: Narrows Run South Outcrop - large roadcut on the western side of Rt. 7, immediately south of Narrows Run, north of the town of Powhatan Point, next to the Ohio River, southeastern Belmont County, far-eastern Ohio, USA (39° 54’ 06.70” North latitude, 80° 48’ 38.80” West longitude)

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More info. at:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingula_(brachiopod)