{"id":7646,"date":"2026-02-06T10:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T09:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/?post_type=product&p=7646"},"modified":"2026-02-06T15:03:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T14:03:26","slug":"anatifopsis-b0018","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/shop\/bundenbach\/anatifopsis-b0018\/","title":{"rendered":"Bundenbach Anatifopsis styloidea"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bundenbach Anatifopsis styloidea<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

2.5 cm (fossil), 12.5×15 cm (matrix)
\nBundenbach; Obereschenbach pit<\/span><\/p>\n

Very rare, primitive representative of the Homalozoa, on unbroken plate with excellent details.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Anatifopsis styloidea – The enigmatic “UFO” of the Devonian Sea<\/span><\/h2>\n

A rarity: bizarre, rare and a top-class puzzle of evolution.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Forget everything you know about classical symmetry. Anatifopsis styloidea<\/em> (still known to many collectors as Mitrocystites<\/em> ) is one of the great unknowns of prehistoric times. It is significantly rarer than the better-known Rhenocystis<\/em> and an absolute must for collectors looking for the unusual and scientifically exciting. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The distinctive features – how to recognize Anatifopsis styloidea::<\/span><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • The semi-circular geometry:<\/strong> The body of this exotic vehicle impresses with its striking, roughly semi-circular shape. It almost looks like an armored vehicle from prehistoric times. The anatomy is highly efficient: the underside consists of two large plates that elegantly overlap on the upper side – a design that offered protection and stability in the mud of the seabed. <\/span><\/li>\n
  • Fine ornamentation:<\/strong> if you look closely, you will be rewarded. Fine, pearl-like nodules can be found along the edges of the upper surface. This subtle structure gives the fossil a wonderful texture and clearly sets it apart from plain specimens. <\/span><\/li>\n
  • The sturdy stem:<\/strong> The stem of Anatifopsis<\/em> is a real character piece. It tapers towards the bottom and – in contrast to the rest of the body – is conspicuously spiny. This combination of smooth body and spiny appendage makes the fossil a dynamic eye-catcher. <\/span><\/li>\n
  • The fine differentiation:<\/strong> In direct comparison to Rhenocystis<\/em>, Anatifopsis<\/em> appears more subtle. While Rhenocystis<\/em> is often characterized by a dominant, strong spine, Anatifopsis<\/em> scores with its flat elegance and fine nodule decoration. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    A highlight for evolution specialists<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Anatifopsis<\/em> belongs to a group whose way of life is still the subject of debate among paleontologists. Was it an early ancestor of vertebrates or a highly specialized echinoderm? Anyone who owns a specimen of this species will have a piece of unsolved geological history in their display case. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Anatifopsis styloidea – very rare representative of Homalozoa from the Devonian of Bundenbach (Hunsr\u00fcck slate), on unbroken slab, detailed specimen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7647,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[145,148,152],"product_tag":[268,173,174,265,211],"class_list":{"0":"post-7646","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-bundenbach","7":"product_cat-fossils","8":"product_cat-others","9":"product_tag-anatifopsis","10":"product_tag-bundenbach","11":"product_tag-devon","12":"product_tag-homalozoa","13":"product_tag-hunsrueck-slate-2","14":"product_shipping_class-s-2kg-m","15":"desktop-align-left","16":"tablet-align-left","17":"mobile-align-left","19":"first","20":"instock","21":"shipping-taxable","22":"purchasable","23":"product-type-simple"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/7646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7646"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=7646"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=7646"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=7646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}