Dramatic Early Cambrian Redlichiid Trilobite

Description: The Issafen Formation of the Anti-Atlas region of Moroccop has recently become something of a Gold Rush for the discovery of heretofore unseen trilobite fof Early Cambrian age. This one is no exception. I have seen several examples of this taxon, but most are either missing the pygidium or it was tucked under and not prepped out. The axial spine on the posteriormost thoracic segment and the pygidium are natural as can be seen in the in-preparation photos included. While one researcher seems to think that that wider specimens are deformed by compression, I fail to see how the axial spine could have withstood such great pressures unscathed. I have included a photo of the strata in which most Issafen specimens are currently found with the sites circled in red. The wider examples are concentrated in the higher stratum some 30 meters above the lower layer.