Eccoptochile Moroccan Trilobites Death Assemblage

Description: Here is one of the more uncommon trilobites of Morocco: Eccoptochile, a cheirurid of the family Phacopida. While some sources claim only the species clavigera as valid, others contest that premise, with the name E. mariana for this Moroccan taxon to be favored. This is a natural association of three examples preserved in dorsal and partially enrolled aspect. The reason for such an assemblage is not clear — perhaps they had gathered together for a mass spawning as do the modern horseshoe crabs, only to have been buried during some catastrophic slumping of the seafloor. This one has a flattened base for easy self-display.