Olenellus fowleri
Vendor: Gold Bugs
SKU Number: SQ3407356
Olenellus fowleri is one of the most beautiful trilobites in the fossil record. Highly sought after for its sweeping spines, and its strange worm-like thorax extension, called an opistothorax. Hailing from the Lower Cambrian of Nevada, O. fowleri is truly archaic and is among the earliest of trilobites and the earliest of all complex recognizable animals.
This specimen is outstanding as it is not only a split pair, but the trilobite is also nestled in dendrite crystals. Rare opportunity for an exceptional example of this species.
Full dimensions are listed below (Only the dimensions for the positive piece are provided).
Vendor: Gold Bugs
SKU Number: SQ3407356
Olenellus fowleri is one of the most beautiful trilobites in the fossil record. Highly sought after for its sweeping spines, and its strange worm-like thorax extension, called an opistothorax. Hailing from the Lower Cambrian of Nevada, O. fowleri is truly archaic and is among the earliest of trilobites and the earliest of all complex recognizable animals.
This specimen is outstanding as it is not only a split pair, but the trilobite is also nestled in dendrite crystals. Rare opportunity for an exceptional example of this species.
Full dimensions are listed below (Only the dimensions for the positive piece are provided).
Vendor: Gold Bugs
SKU Number: SQ3407356
Olenellus fowleri is one of the most beautiful trilobites in the fossil record. Highly sought after for its sweeping spines, and its strange worm-like thorax extension, called an opistothorax. Hailing from the Lower Cambrian of Nevada, O. fowleri is truly archaic and is among the earliest of trilobites and the earliest of all complex recognizable animals.
This specimen is outstanding as it is not only a split pair, but the trilobite is also nestled in dendrite crystals. Rare opportunity for an exceptional example of this species.
Full dimensions are listed below (Only the dimensions for the positive piece are provided).
Additional Information
The Pioche Shale is an Early to Middle Cambrian Burgess shale-type Lagerstätte in Nevada that preserves arthropods and worms similar to the Burgess Shale.
In the Eureka area, the Pioche has a variable lithologic character which is most commonly a greenish or grey, calcareous or micaceous shale which may locally be reddish or brown in color with abundant trilobite parts throughout the formation.
Description:
As with most early trilobites, Olenellus has an almost flat exoskeleton, that is only thinly calcified, and has crescent-shaped eye ridges. As part of the suborder Olenellina, Olenellus lacks dorsal sutures. Like all other members of the superfamily Olenelloide, the eye-ridges emerge from the back of the frontal lobe of the central area of the cephalon, that is called glabella. Olenellus also shares the typical character of whole family Olenellidae that the frontal and middle pair of lateral lobes of the glabella are partially merged. This creates two very typical, isolated slits. It can be distinguished from the other two genera in the family, Mesolenellus and Mesonacis, because the angle in the back rim of the cephalon is less than 15°, making the head approximately semi-circular. The genal spines are reaching back no further than the 6th thorax segment, making them 4-5 times as long as the most backward lobe of the glabella. The thorax is 4-4½ times wider that the axis, measured at the 3rd segment. The base of the spine on the 15th thorax segment is almost as wide as the axis itself.
