UNUSUAL Platillaenus Moroccan Trilobite

Description: This unusual trilobite comes from the Ordovician deposits near Alnif, Morocco. At first glance it looks something like a Paralejurus (see my other listings) , but the age of the deposits and the overall shape shows it is much different. It is a member of the Illaenidae, trilobites more frequently seen from Europe (particularly Russia) and less frequently from North America. I sent photos to one of the most well-versed collectors of Moroccan trilobites, and he told me it was a member of the genus Platillaenus. It is sufficiently different from the one known from Morocco that it is most likely a species new to science.