Walliserops trifurcatus Trident Trilobite

Description: This trilobite is a member of the Order Phacopida, Family Acastidae from the Devonian deposits of Foum Ziguid, Morocco known commercially as the Trident Comura. The trilobite was named Walliserops trifurcatus by Pierre Morzadec. Chatterton and Brett had erected the genus Parabolops, with the long-forked trident being Parabolops neptunis and the short-forked Parabolops hammi (see my other examples for a fine short-forked example). Some once thought the differences may be the result of sexual dimorphism. Radical differences between the sexes are common in Arthropods (see some of the scarab beetles, for example). Whatever you call it, this is a spectacular example. There are many spines prepared freestanding on the cephalon as well as the subspines on the axial and pleural lobes, making for a dramatic display. The diagnostic trident has been prepared freestanding as well, making for a dramatic piece unlikely to ever need upgrading. Unlike many trilobites prepared in Morocco, this one was done using the same painstaking microabrasive techniques as here in the US, affording a wonderful piece at a fraction of what a US-prepped example would cost of comparable quality. (I apologize for the less-than-esthetic photography while still in the shipping container, but discretion was the better part of valor with all the spines).