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.85" Rare, Pelagic Trilobite (Cyclopyge) With Snail - Huge Eyes
This is an exceptionally rare, .85" long example of the unusual pelagic trilobite Cyclopyge, collected near El Kaid Rami, Morocco. While Cyclopyge specimens from Morocco do occasionally reach the market, the overwhelming majority are preserved flattened in shale. Fully three-dimensional examples like this are considerably more difficult to find and are especially desirable to collectors.
The specimen displays outstanding preservation, including both of its distinctive, oversized eyes in remarkable detail. Its three-dimensional form gives it a dramatically different appearance from the more typical compressed examples and makes this a particularly impressive representative of the genus.
Even more importantly, the trilobite is completely unrestored and is naturally associated with a fossil gastropod on the matrix, adding further interest and uniqueness to the piece.
The specimen displays outstanding preservation, including both of its distinctive, oversized eyes in remarkable detail. Its three-dimensional form gives it a dramatically different appearance from the more typical compressed examples and makes this a particularly impressive representative of the genus.
Even more importantly, the trilobite is completely unrestored and is naturally associated with a fossil gastropod on the matrix, adding further interest and uniqueness to the piece.
About Cyclopyge
Cyclopyge is a distinctive genus of trilobite from the Middle Ordovician period, known for its unusually large, crescent-shaped eyes that inspired its name—meaning “round eye.” Fossils of this genus are found in marine deposits across Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia, often preserved in fine-grained limestones or shales that once formed on the floors of ancient seas.
Adapted for life in deeper or dimly lit waters, Cyclopyge possessed enormous compound eyes that provided a nearly panoramic field of vision—an evolutionary advantage for detecting predators or prey in low light. Its streamlined, oval body and reduced spines suggest it was a free-swimming, pelagic trilobite rather than a bottom-dweller. The cephalon (head) was broad, the thorax composed of relatively few segments, and the pygidium (tail) was small and rounded.
These features make Cyclopyge one of the most recognizable and specialized trilobites, offering fascinating insight into how some Ordovician trilobites adapted to open-water habitats rather than the seafloor environments typical of most of their relatives.
Cyclopyge is a distinctive genus of trilobite from the Middle Ordovician period, known for its unusually large, crescent-shaped eyes that inspired its name—meaning “round eye.” Fossils of this genus are found in marine deposits across Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia, often preserved in fine-grained limestones or shales that once formed on the floors of ancient seas.
Adapted for life in deeper or dimly lit waters, Cyclopyge possessed enormous compound eyes that provided a nearly panoramic field of vision—an evolutionary advantage for detecting predators or prey in low light. Its streamlined, oval body and reduced spines suggest it was a free-swimming, pelagic trilobite rather than a bottom-dweller. The cephalon (head) was broad, the thorax composed of relatively few segments, and the pygidium (tail) was small and rounded.
These features make Cyclopyge one of the most recognizable and specialized trilobites, offering fascinating insight into how some Ordovician trilobites adapted to open-water habitats rather than the seafloor environments typical of most of their relatives.
SPECIES
Cyclopyge sibilla
LOCATION
El Kaid Rami, Morocco
FORMATION
Lower Ktaoua Formation
SIZE
Trilobite: .85" long
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#376899
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