Silurian Eophacops musheni Wenlock Trilobite

Description: This is an example of the trilobite Eophacops musheni from the Middle Silurian Wenlock Series, the same deposit as the well-known “Dudley Bugs” of the West Midland. While somewhat compressed, the specimen retains all of its original exoskeleton. The species has been the subject of study due to variation in the number and pattern of eye files with some showing 19 or 20 files and a few examples having different numbers of files in each eye. The genus is also found in the Devonian of Morocco with greatly reduced eye files. See my other offerings for an example of Eocryphops.

Reference: Paleontology, Vol 41, Part5, 1998, pp 897-911.