Koneprusia Moroccan Museum Trilobite

Spectacularly Spined NEW TYPE

Koneprusia aff dahmani

Trilobite Order Odontopleurida, Family Odontopleuridae

Geological Time: Lower Devonian

Size: Trilobite is 40 mm long

Fossil Site: Jebel Oufaten, Morocco


Koneprusia dahmani Moroccan TrilobiteDescription: Elegant example of an unusual trilobite which as an Odontopleurid has many fine relatives in Dicranurus, Leonaspis, and Ceratonurus. This one has a plethora of spines, most of which have been painstakingly prepared freestanding, making for a spectacular display piece. To what purpose could such a spiny armament be put? The answer DEFENSE cries out; with fish only recently (geologically speaking) having developed true jaws, any advantage a prey species could evolve would stand it in good stead in the eternal predator/prey arms race. At first glance this one would be dismissed as an example of the type known as Koneprusia brutoni were it not for the double spines at the anterior, a feature to date only known in Koneprusia dahmani which is best known from Foum Ziguid. That taxon has multiple subspines to the plural and pygidial spines. The example from Oufaten either have them greatly reduced or missing entirely. I will go with Koneprusia aff dahmani for the time being.

click to enlarge

Koneprusia dahmani Moroccan Odontopleurid Trilobite


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