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1.3", 3D Flexicalymene Trilobite With Gastropod
This is a large, 1.3" long Flexicalymene trilobite from Ohio with a gastropod fossil perched on it's head. It comes from the famous trilobite beds at Mt. Orab and has been microscopically cleaned using air abrasives, a time consuming process. The trilobite has great shell which contrasts well against the light colored matrix and is very 3D.
About Flexicalymene Trilobites
Flexicalymene is a genus of trilobites of the order Phacopida, suborder Calymenina. These ancient arthropods are an index fossil of the Ordovician, between 488-443 million years ago. The graceful articulation, especially of the thorax segments, demonstrates that this distant precursor of insects is deserving of its delightful name.
Flexicalymene is often found enrolled, seemingly to protect its softer underside from threats on a sea floor teeming with ancient life and increasingly complex predators. Sealing itself inside the hard carapace may be a protective maneuver, or it may simply be the pose of death.
Two species of Flexicalymene are found in the Richmond Formation of Ohio, but in different sub-units. Flexicalymene meeki has small genal spines and is the more common of the two, often coming from Mt Orab, Ohio. These spines are absent in the other species, F. retrorsa. The F. retrorsa cephalon is more rounded, while the F. meeki cephalon is pronounced. They were also denizens at different locales. Calymene, meaning “beautiful crescent”, should not be confused with Flexicalymene: it is a separate genus.
Flexicalymene meeki has been studied for its abundant perforations. The perforations have been interpreted as the loci of sensory hairs: these loci occur in many sizes, and are an interesting feature of exoskeleton microfeatures. They are concentrated on areas most likely to contact other objects in the environment.
Flexicalymene is a genus of trilobites of the order Phacopida, suborder Calymenina. These ancient arthropods are an index fossil of the Ordovician, between 488-443 million years ago. The graceful articulation, especially of the thorax segments, demonstrates that this distant precursor of insects is deserving of its delightful name.
Flexicalymene is often found enrolled, seemingly to protect its softer underside from threats on a sea floor teeming with ancient life and increasingly complex predators. Sealing itself inside the hard carapace may be a protective maneuver, or it may simply be the pose of death.
Two species of Flexicalymene are found in the Richmond Formation of Ohio, but in different sub-units. Flexicalymene meeki has small genal spines and is the more common of the two, often coming from Mt Orab, Ohio. These spines are absent in the other species, F. retrorsa. The F. retrorsa cephalon is more rounded, while the F. meeki cephalon is pronounced. They were also denizens at different locales. Calymene, meaning “beautiful crescent”, should not be confused with Flexicalymene: it is a separate genus.
Flexicalymene meeki has been studied for its abundant perforations. The perforations have been interpreted as the loci of sensory hairs: these loci occur in many sizes, and are an interesting feature of exoskeleton microfeatures. They are concentrated on areas most likely to contact other objects in the environment.
SPECIES
Flexicalymene retrorsa
AGE
LOCATION
Mt. Orab, Ohio
FORMATION
Arnheim Formation
SIZE
1.11" long
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#9223
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