14" Utaspis Trilobite Multiple Plate - Marjum Formation, Utah

Utaspis Trilobite Multiple Plate - Marjum Formation, Utah #106186

This is a multiple plate of a fairly scarce trilobite from the Marjum Formation of Utah, Utaspis marjumensis. About 95+% of them are molts, so finding them with cheeks, especially a multiple is rare. This 14x9" slab of shale has four mostly complete individuals as well as several pieces including a head of a very rare Olenoides pugio. Unfortunately the shell preservation of the trilobites from this layer wasn't that great. That is the reason, why the price of this Utaspis is significantly less expensive than you might expect given the scarcity of complete specimens. This specimen was personally collected from a lease in the House Range in Utah several years ago.

Collecting the interbedded shales and limestones of the Marjum Formation

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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