Three Lonchodomas (Ampyx) Trilobites - Morocco

This is three orangish, Lonchodomas sp. trilobites from the Lower Ordovician deposits in the Zagora area of Morocco. The longest trilobite is 1.9" long from tip of the glabellar (nose) spine to the end of the genal spines. The natural, orange/red coloration is caused by the oxidization of iron pyrite which originally preserved the trilobites. There maybe some restoration or color enhancement on the ends of the genal spines as they tend to be faintly preserved.

Lonchodomas, formerly Ampyx has a distinctive, elongated rostrum and sweeping genal spines, which may have both helped to deter predators as well as providing more surface area to keep it on top of the mud.

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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DETAILS
SPECIES
Lonchodomas (Ampyx) sp.
LOCATION
Ouled Slimane, Zagora area, Morocco
SIZE
1.9" longest trilobite, 4.9 x 4.0" rock
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#120741
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