Monday, June 1, 2015

Metacanthina issoumourensis trilobite from Morocco

I think this Trilobite is a Metacanthina issoumourensis. The key identifier, for me, is the little horn on the back of the cephalon (otherwise known as an occipital spine). The specimen is missing the genal spines which should extend about 15mm beyond the edge of the cephalon. It's been prepped in a pedestal presentation and that works somewhat as the pleural spines are not as splayed out as some specimens I've seen.


There is a lot of detail missing from the eyes. Sadly, these are often neglected in some preparations as the rock is removed too quickly and takes some of the shell with it.







Overall this is a rough specimen and I intend to get a better example in the future but, since it did not cost too much, is a good reference piece. This specimen came from Jebel Issoumour near Alnif in the Tafilalet region of Morocco and is dated to the Emsian stage of the Devonian.

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