Museum Basseiarges mellishae Trilobites

Description: These unusual trilobites come from a recently discovered location known as Jorf in Morocco, close to the site from which the polished goniate ammonites originate. The preservation of the exoskeleton is reminiscent of them in terms of texture, unlike many trilobites from Morocco. The first examples I came across were at the 2012 Tucson fossil show, and were exhibited by the premier US importer of Moroccan specimens. The price was somewhat stratospheric. With the passage of time, more material came to light. Here is a fine death assemblage of no less than SIX examples, the result of some natural catastrophe, perhaps a slumping of a cliff. This is a NATUIRAL, not COMPOSITE, example of the taxon which has been assigned a new genus and species Basseiarges mellishae. Note the two specimens piled atop each other and the ventral example. The flattened round shape and spines along the edge of the pleural and pygidiial lobes indicate to me a dweller of the seafloor. The body configuration would have served the same function as snowshoes.

Reference: Batalleria, 18, March 2012, pp 15-24