iChesapecten jeffersonius
Chesapecten jeffersonius (inside)
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Bivalvia Order: Ostreoida Family: Pectinidae Genus: Chesapecten Species: C. jeffersonius
Binomial name
Chesapecten jeffersonius (Say, 1824)

Chesapecten jeffersonius is the state fossil of the U.S. state of Virginia. It is the fossilized form of an extinct scallop, which lived in the early Pliocene epoch between four and five million years ago on Virginia's coastal plain. In 1687, Martin Lister published a drawing of the fossil and then it became the first fossil to be described from North America. Download high resolution version (1476x735, 910 KB)Chesapecten Jeffersonius fossils (outside) These fossils were photographed by Berni Nonenmacher, December 26, 2004. ... Download high resolution version (1533x767, 1026 KB)Chesapecten Jeffersonius fossils (inside) These fossils were photographed by Berni Nonenmacher, December 26, 2004. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive. ... An ammonite fossil Eocene fossil fish of the genus Knightia Petrified wood fossil formed through permineralization. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa Orthonectida Rhombozoa Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) Ctenophora Cnidaria Bilateria (unranked) Acoelomorpha Myxozoa Superphylum Deuterostomia Chordata Hemichordata Echinodermata Chaetognatha Superphylum Ecdysozoa Kinorhyncha Loricifera Priapulida Nematoda Nematomorpha Onychophora Tardigrada Arthropoda Superphylum Platyzoa Platyhelminthes Gastrotricha Rotifera Acanthocephala Gnathostomulida Micrognathozoa Cycliophora Superphylum Lophotrochozoa Sipuncula Nemertea Phoronida Bryozoa... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora Monoplacophora Bivalvia Scaphopoda Gastropoda Cephalopoda † Rostroconchia The mollusks or molluscs are the large and diverse phylum Mollusca, which includes a variety of familiar creatures well-known for their decorative shells or as seafood. ... Orders Subclass Anomalosdesmata Pholadomyoida Subclass Heterodonta - clams, zebra mussels †Cycloconchidae Hippuritoida †Lyrodesmatidae Myoida †Redoniidae Veneroida Subclass Paleoheterodonta Trigonioida; see Superfamily Trigoniacea Unionoida - freshwater mussels Subclass Protobranchia Nuculoida †Praecardioida Solemyoida Subclass Pteriomorphia - oysters, mussels Arcoida Mytiloida Ostreoida Pterioida Bivalves are molluscs belonging to the class Bivalvia. ... Genera Pecten Pedum Amusium Chlamys Decatopecten Argopecten Flexopecten Lissopecten Hyalopecten Nodipecten Patinopecten Semipallium Mimachlamys Equichlamys Mesopeplum Veprichlamys Notochlamys Delectopecten Cryptopecten Anguipecten Haumea Mirapecten Volachlamys Juxtamusium Annachlamys Gloripallium Excellichlamys Bractechlamys Minnivola Coralichlamys Serratovola Somalipecten Pseudohinnites Glorichlamys Scallops are the family Pectinidae of bivalve molluscs. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Thomas Say. ... Though every state in the United States has a State Bird and a State Flower, not every state in the United States has a State Fossil. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries â€¢ Politics Portal      A state of the United States is any one of the fifty subnational entities referred to... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... An ammonite fossil Eocene fossil fish of the genus Knightia Petrified wood fossil formed through permineralization. ... Genera See text. ... The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ... A division of geologic time less than a period and greater than an age. ... One million (1000000), one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999999 and preceding 1000001. ... In geography, a coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. ... Martin Lister (c. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

In 1824, geologist John Finch gathered a large collection of mollusk fossils, including Chesapecten jeffersonius, from the vicinity of Yorktown, Virginia, and gave them to scientists at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP). 1824 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology, studying the physical structure and processes of the Earth and planets of the solar system (see planetary geology). ... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora Monoplacophora Bivalvia Scaphopoda Gastropoda Cephalopoda † Rostroconchia The mollusks or molluscs are the large and diverse phylum Mollusca, which includes a variety of familiar creatures well-known for their decorative shells or as seafood. ... York Hall is a government building on Yorktowns historic Main Street. ... The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia was founded in 1812 to expand knowledge of the natural world. ... ANSP is an acroynm for: Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia Agency for National Security Planning Aviation, Navigation, and Stellite Prgrams, Inc. ...

Scientist Thomas Say, at ANSP, described the species and named it Pecten jeffersonius to honor Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Say. ... Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 N.S. – July 4, 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–1809), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ...

External links

• Chesapecten jeffersonius by Tim Gette, Executive Director, Virginia Museum of Natural History
• Virginia: Chesapecten jeffersonius (state fossil)