Modocia whiteleyi

$350.00

Vendor: Fossil Soup

SKU Number: SQ8472000

Modocia whiteleyi from the Middle Cambrian, Weeks Formation, House Range, Millard County, Utah.

Modocia whiteleyi is a trilobite species, part of the genus Modocia, first described in 2011 from the Cedaria Zone of the upper Weeks Formation. It is characterized by having only 12 thoracic segments, a feature that distinguishes it from other species in the Modocia genus. The species is named after Thomas Whiteley, a paleontologist who contributed to the rediscovery of famous trilobite fossil sites. 

Fossil size:
Length: 1.9 cm
Width: 1.2 cm
Height: 0.3 cm

Matrix size:
Length: 15.5 cm
Width: 10.5 cm
Height: 3.0 cm

Full dimensions are listed below.

Vendor: Fossil Soup

SKU Number: SQ8472000

Modocia whiteleyi from the Middle Cambrian, Weeks Formation, House Range, Millard County, Utah.

Modocia whiteleyi is a trilobite species, part of the genus Modocia, first described in 2011 from the Cedaria Zone of the upper Weeks Formation. It is characterized by having only 12 thoracic segments, a feature that distinguishes it from other species in the Modocia genus. The species is named after Thomas Whiteley, a paleontologist who contributed to the rediscovery of famous trilobite fossil sites. 

Fossil size:
Length: 1.9 cm
Width: 1.2 cm
Height: 0.3 cm

Matrix size:
Length: 15.5 cm
Width: 10.5 cm
Height: 3.0 cm

Full dimensions are listed below.

Specimen Details
Species Name: Modocia whiteleyi Order: Ptychopariida Age: Middle Cambrian Locality: Millard County, Utah Formation: Weeks Fromation
Matrix Dimensions
Dimensions: In Centimeters Length: 15.5 cm Width: 10.5 cm Height: 3.0 cm Weight: N/A
Specimen Dimensions
Dimensions: In Centimeters Length: 1.9 cm Width: 1.2 cm Height: 0.3 cm Weight: N/A
Shipping Dimensions
Dimensions: In Inches Length: NA inches Width: NA inches Height: NA inches Weight: NA lbs
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Additional Information

This ancient arthropod was a bottom-dweller, likely a deposit feeder that moved slowly across the seafloor, sifting through the mud and sediment to find organic particles to eat. The specimen in the post capture the stunning contrast of its dark, finely textured exoskeleton against the light, reddish-brown limestone matrix. This beautiful trilobite offers a rare glimpse into a moment in time over half a billion years ago. Found in Utah's Fossil-Rich Weeks Formation This location is a Konservat-Lagerstätte, a rare fossil site preserving both hard-shelled and delicate, soft-bodied organisms. The trilobites were likely buried rapidly by a storm or high-salinity event in a shallow sub-tidal environment, perfectly preserving them for us to find today.

The Weeks Formation is located in the central House Range of western Utah. Its stratigraphic position is:

  • It conformably overlies the Marjum Formation
  • It is conformably overlain by the Orr Formation
This makes the Weeks Formation the final, youngest unit in a continuous succession of fine-grained, fossil-bearing sediments that filled the ancient House Range Embayment, a fault-controlled basin. The Weeks Formation represents a transition from the deeper-water, outer-shelf environments of the underlying Marjum Formation to the shallower, subtidal environments of the overlying Orr Formation.

References:

Weeks Formation