Reviews
This Specimen has been sold.
HERE ARE SOME OTHER SIMILAR FOSSILS FOR SALE
1.4" Lower Cambrian Bondonella Trilobite - Issafen, Morocco
This is a fairly rare, 1.4" long Fallotaspidoid trilobite (Bondonella typica) from the Issafen Formation of Morocco. It has been well prepared to bring it out in high relief against the surrounding shale.
About Issafen Trilobites
In recent years, fossil-bearing deposits near Issafen, Morocco, have begun producing an extraordinary diversity of Early Cambrian trilobites. This newly recognized assemblage includes representatives of several distinctive trilobite groups, including ellipsocephalids, chengkouiids, gigantopygids, holmiids, neltneriids, saukiandids, and some of the latest surviving fallotaspids. The remarkable diversity of this fauna, combined with the unusual morphology of many of its species, has made the Issafen Formation an increasingly fascinating source of specimens for collectors and researchers alike.
The trilobites are preserved in fine-grained shale that typically exhibits a greenish to pale yellow coloration when freshly split. With prolonged exposure to the elements, the shale weathers to a light gray. Many specimens preserve intricate details of the exoskeleton, including delicate spines, distinct segmentation, and other diagnostic features. Careful preparation can reveal these structures in impressive relief against the surrounding matrix.
One particularly interesting characteristic of the Issafen Formation is the extensive geological deformation that has affected portions of its fossil-bearing strata. Over millions of years, tectonic forces compressed and distorted the rock, producing directional stretching and shortening of the fossils preserved within it. As a result, trilobites of the same species can exhibit dramatically different proportions depending on their original orientation within the sediment relative to the direction of deformation.
A trilobite aligned with the direction of stretching may appear unusually long and narrow, while another specimen of the very same species, oriented differently, may appear remarkably short and broad. In some cases, this distortion is so pronounced that two specimens of the same species can look superficially like entirely different trilobites.
This geological deformation presents a significant challenge when identifying and classifying Issafen trilobites. Overall body shape and proportions alone can be misleading, making it important to examine more reliable anatomical characteristics, such as the structure of the cephalon, glabella, thoracic segmentation, pygidium, and arrangement of spines. Even these features can be affected by deformation, requiring careful comparisons between specimens.
In recent years, fossil-bearing deposits near Issafen, Morocco, have begun producing an extraordinary diversity of Early Cambrian trilobites. This newly recognized assemblage includes representatives of several distinctive trilobite groups, including ellipsocephalids, chengkouiids, gigantopygids, holmiids, neltneriids, saukiandids, and some of the latest surviving fallotaspids. The remarkable diversity of this fauna, combined with the unusual morphology of many of its species, has made the Issafen Formation an increasingly fascinating source of specimens for collectors and researchers alike.
The trilobites are preserved in fine-grained shale that typically exhibits a greenish to pale yellow coloration when freshly split. With prolonged exposure to the elements, the shale weathers to a light gray. Many specimens preserve intricate details of the exoskeleton, including delicate spines, distinct segmentation, and other diagnostic features. Careful preparation can reveal these structures in impressive relief against the surrounding matrix.
One particularly interesting characteristic of the Issafen Formation is the extensive geological deformation that has affected portions of its fossil-bearing strata. Over millions of years, tectonic forces compressed and distorted the rock, producing directional stretching and shortening of the fossils preserved within it. As a result, trilobites of the same species can exhibit dramatically different proportions depending on their original orientation within the sediment relative to the direction of deformation.
A trilobite aligned with the direction of stretching may appear unusually long and narrow, while another specimen of the very same species, oriented differently, may appear remarkably short and broad. In some cases, this distortion is so pronounced that two specimens of the same species can look superficially like entirely different trilobites.
This geological deformation presents a significant challenge when identifying and classifying Issafen trilobites. Overall body shape and proportions alone can be misleading, making it important to examine more reliable anatomical characteristics, such as the structure of the cephalon, glabella, thoracic segmentation, pygidium, and arrangement of spines. Even these features can be affected by deformation, requiring careful comparisons between specimens.
SPECIES
Bondonella typica
LOCATION
Issafen, Morocco
FORMATION
Issafen Formation
SIZE
1.4" long on 6 x 3.6" shale
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#381188
We guarantee the authenticity of all of our specimens.
