Large Asaphus punctatus High-Eyestalked Russian Trilobite

Description: A well-inflated example of a high-eyestalked member of the Asaphidae, this is Asaphus punctatus. The region in which these trilobites lived was subject to dramatic changes in salinity and turbidity, and the trilobites were able to make rapid (geologically speaking) evolutionary adjustments. These adjustments were thought to be able to allow them to see both predator and prey more easily. This taxon has been frequently available, but I have learned from one of the foremost preparators of Russian Asaphids that the stratum from which they have been collected has been “played out”, and that recovery of more specimens will require the removal of 20 METERS of overburden to expose the same level. The taxon has variable eyestalk height, with this one having the extensions most sought after by discerning collectors.