Eupsamia sp.

Eupsamia sp. (†)

Eupsamia (= Eupsammia) sp.(†) is a fossil from an individual coral, one polyp, that is found in the grey mudstones from Eocene in the district of Bages. The most common species of Eupsamia sp.(†) in Bages is a 1-3 cm high, elliptic cross section cup with top down, continuous stripes and radial ones joining the mouth on top. The fossil corresponds to the exoskeleton of calcium carbonate.
The erosion releases the fossils of Eupsamia sp. from the grey mudstones, often leaving them as the hat of very small dames coiffées.
The name Eupsamia comes from the Greek: eu- (real) i psammos (sand); it indicates that Eupsamia sp.(†) lived in sand or mud sea beds, not on the rocks. That’s why nowadays Eupsamia sp.(†) is found into mudstones.
Plascomilia vidali (†) is a similar species that is often named in paleontological bibliography and displayed in fossil collections. However, Plascomilia vidali (†) is found in Late Cretaceous strata which do not exist in the district of Bages.

[photo Jordi Badia]