3" Asaphus Lepidurus Trilobite - Hypostome Exposted

Asaphus Lepidurus Trilobite - Hypostome Exposted #73501

This is a beautiful 3" long Asaphus lepidurus trilobite. It was collected from the Putilovo quarry in the St. Petersburg region of Russia. The caramel colored shell contrasts nicely with the light colored limestone. The hypostome (mouthplate) has been exposed on the underside of the head.

Like nearly all of the Russian trilobites there is some shell restoration but it is pretty minimal on this specimen. Maybe 3% total, on the right hand side pleural tips and a small patch on the right hand side of the head. A really nice, large specimen of the species.

Photo of the Putilovo quarry, near St. Petersburg Russia where this trilobite was found.

Trilobites were a very diverse group of extinct marine arthropods. They first appeared in the fossil record in the Early Cambrian (521 million years ago) and went extinct during the Permian mass extinction (250 million years ago). They were one of the most successful of the early animals on our planet: over 25,000 species have been described, filling nearly every evolutionary niche. Due in large part to their hard exoskeletons (shells), they left an excellent fossil record.

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