5.1" Gigantopygus Trilobite With Pos/Neg - Issafen, Morocco

Gigantopygus Trilobite With Pos/Neg - Issafen, Morocco #171026

This is a 5.1" long example of Gigantopygus papillatus (Hupe’ 1953) from the Issafen Formation of Morocco. It was a rare, perfect split and both the positive and negative impression of the fossil is included. There has been some color enhancement to the trilobite so that it stands out better from the rock but otherwise I don't see any evidence of restoration.

In the past few years, deposits near Issafen, Morocco have begun yielding a new assemblage of Early Cambrian trilobites. This fauna is very diverse and consists mainly of ellipsocephalids, chengkouiids, gigantopygids, holmiids, neltneriids, saukiandids, and the latest fallotaspids. The shale is a greenish to slightly yellow color when freshly split, but weathers to a light grey.

About Trilobites

Trilobites are an extinct class of marine arthropods that thrived for nearly 270 million years, from the early Cambrian to the end of the Permian period (around 521 to 252 million years ago). They are one of the most successful and diverse groups in the history of life, with over 25,000 described species spanning a wide range of sizes, shapes, and ecological niches. Known for their distinctive, segmented exoskeletons, trilobites provide invaluable insights into the evolutionary history of arthropods and the dynamics of ancient marine ecosystems.

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