Beautiful, Gigantic 5.35" Drotops Trilobite

This is a very aesthetic example of the gigantic phacopid trilobite Drotops megalomanicus which is quarried from Issoumour, Morocco. It's 5.35" long, very 3d and has a very detailed shell. The many, pronounced tubercles covering it's shell and the eye facets are particularly well preserved.

This specimen does have about 10% shell restoration, in many small areas on the shell. The largest patches are on the left side of the tail on the right cheek. I suspect the when this specimen was found, the rock split over the shell instead of simply finding it in cross section causing many flakes of shell to be lost. Despite the restoration it's a gorgous specimen.

A photo of the Drotops quarry at Issoumour, Morocco showing the hard limestone layers being worked.
A photo of the Drotops quarry at Issoumour, Morocco showing the hard limestone layers being worked.


A photo of the Drotops quarry at Issoumour, Morocco.  The quarry following the horizon where this trilobites are found extends several kilometers around the mountain.
A photo of the Drotops quarry at Issoumour, Morocco. The quarry following the horizon where this trilobites are found extends several kilometers around the mountain.


How a Drotops might be found in the field, with part of the tail exposed in the broken rock.  It would then be prepared using airscribes and air abrasives a process that would likely take 20+ hours for a good specimen..
How a Drotops might be found in the field, with part of the tail exposed in the broken rock. It would then be prepared using airscribes and air abrasives a process that would likely take 20+ hours for a good specimen..


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DETAILS
SPECIES
Drotops megalomanicus
LOCATION
Issoumour, Morocco
FORMATION
Bou Dib Formation
SIZE
5.35" Long
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#13938
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