Emu Bay Shale Redlichia Trilobite and Myoscolex Assemblage

Description: This specimen is an example of Redlichia takooensis from the Emu Bay Shale of Australia. The Emu Bay Shale is Australia’s only Burgess Shale type deposit. It has fauna in common with both the younger Burgess Shale and the slightly older Chengjiang Biota.. Unlike the Burgess Shale and Chengjiang Biota, however, the Emu Bay Shale deposits were a shallow water depositional environment. This is the largest trilobite of the Biota, reaching a maximum of 250 mm in length. Some have been known to demonstrate soft tissue preservation of legs or antennae. It has also been found in the Cambrian of south China. It is overlain by a larger specimen as well. On the reverse is a partial example of Myoscolex ateles. This unusual creature was first thought when described in 1979 to be a polychaete worm. Recent specimens with more detail have shown it to have affinities with the unusual stem-group arthropod Opabinia regalis of the slightly younger Burgess Shale. The repaired matrix crack does little to detract from this fine specimen. This is a most unusual opportunity to obtain a death assemblage of 2 taxa from the hard-to-find location.