Paradoxides Gracilis Trilobite - Czech Republic

This is a classic bohemian trilobite, Paradoxides gracilis from the Jince Formation in the Czech Republic. At 3 3/4 inches in length it is about average size for the species and is well preserved, other than the missing pieces of course. It does have it's free-cheeks still attached which is uncommon for the species.

Bohemian trilobites (central Czech Republic) have been collected and studied since the 1700's. Within this relatively small area of only a few hundred square miles there have been nearly 1300 species described. It was made famous by a french scientist Joachim Barrande who dedicated much of his life in the 1800's to studying and describing Bohemian trilobites. His work is world renown and deeply influenced work in invertebrate paleontology to this day.