Colorful Hsuaspis Trilobite from Emu Bay Shale of Australia

This specimen is an example of Hsuaspis bilobata from the Emu Bay Shale of Australia. The Emu Bay Shale is Australia’s only Burgess Shale type deposit. It has fauna in common with both the younger Burgess Shale and the slightly older Chengjiang Biota.. Unlike the Burgess Shale and Chengjiang Biota, however, the Emu Bay Shale deposits were a shallow water depositional environment. This is the most common trilobite of the Biota, and is found in New South Wales and Antarctica as well. It appears to have affinities with the younger Xystridura (see my other offerings). The orange color of the exoskeleton is due to preservation by limonite, and offers a sharp contrast to the dark shale matrix plaque. Some preferto use the genus Estaingia, rather than Hsuaspis. I list both names to make it easier for collectors to locate the specimen.