This is the “Fossil Friday” post #141.  Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website.  We will post any fossil pictures you send in to esconi.info@gmail.com.  Please include a short description or story.  Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!

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Fossil spiders are always a favorite here for Fossil Friday.  Marty Houdek sent us a gorgeous Orthotarbus robustus from Pit 11.  He found this guy, his first and only spider, on the tipple in 1986.  He’s been collecting for a long time, so it’s hard to believe that it’s his only one!  I guess spiders really are rare!

O. robustus belongs to an extinct group of spider-like animals called Architarbids.  They lived during the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian Periods.  O. robustus was described by Alexander Petrunkevitch in 1945.

Thanks for sharing this beautiful specimen, Marty!