Top Quality Trilobite Association (Dicranurus & Crotalocephalina)

This is an excellent, natural association of two different trilobites from the quarries at Atchana, Morocco. There is a 2.8" wide, spiny Dicranurus monstrosus association with a stunningly preserved, 3.1" long Crotalocephalina gibbus. Fantastic preparation on both specimens with the spines of the Dicranurus prepared free-standing.

The tan colored shell preservation of the Crotalocephalina makes for a nice contrast to the jet black shell on the Dicranurus. The hypostome (mouthplate) of the Crotalocephalina has been exposed on the underside of its head.

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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