Juvenile Myopsolenites, A Resserops-Like Cambrian Trilobite

Description: This plate displays a rarely seen example of a trilobite found in the Ordovician deposits of Tinejdad, Morocco. This trilobite is a member of the Order Redlichiida, Subfamily Resseropinae from the Cambrian Tassmamte region deposits of Morocco known as Resserops in the fossil trade. It has actually been assigned to the genus Myopsolenites and has been known as the species M. boutiouti , but has recently been found to be M. altus. An unusual feature for this taxon is the large pygidium; most Cambrian trilobites have a =very small pygidium. This is a very fine, 3-D example of the type, unusual for Cambrian examples, which usually are nearly totally compressed. Even more unusual is the fact that this one is a juvenile, and the smallest example I have seen in a decade.

Reference: Acta Geologica Polonica (I), pp1-56, 2013.