Proetopeltis Moroccan Trilobite

Description: This is the smallest example of the genus Proetopeltis I have been able to offer. It comes from a recent deposit in a location known as Hmar Lakhdad in Morocco. Hmar lakhdad means “red cheeks” in Arabic, an allusion to the rich wine red color preserved in the specimens from this location, a consequence of high levels of iron in the silicified exoskeleton. Interestingly enough, Phacopids from this site have been found that possess the red color to the exoskeleton and green eyes, a consequence of differential silicification and weathering of the iron and manganese absorbed by the specimen during diagenesis.