Help identifying mid Devonian trilobite species

[ScottBlooded]

Found near Winchester Virginia in the needmore formation, having a hard time figuring out the species. Still have to clean up his right side, but there’s at least one genal spine preserved, can’t tell yet if there’s any spines along the ends of each thorax segment. Had a good tip on reddit that it might be a Reedops but the librigena area seems not as substantial on mine. Likewise the attached genal spine seems much finer and arcs further away from the thorax. Has a smooth glabella (with the exception of the furrows) which I also don’t see any examples of when I search Reedops either. Eyes are hard to see right now, seems to be the only feature severed off in the mold when separating. Still have it, just needs to be carefully pulled out and reattached. Either way they’re very small, seem smaller than Reedops as well but again, hard to say

[Huntonia]

Definitely not a reedops. Not sure what it is  

Very cool find! Should look very nice once cleaned up. @piranha or @Kane should be able to put a name to it.

[Tidgy's Dad]

I don't know what it it, but that's a super find.

[fifbrindacier]

@fossilguy ?

[piranha]

The mystery specimen matches with this illustration by Jasper Burns: Undescribed dalmanitid from the Needmore Formation.

 

Burns, J. 1991

Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States with Localities, Collecting Tips, and Illustrations of more than 450 Fossil Specimens.

The Johns Hopkins University Press, 200 pp.

[ScottBlooded]

1 hour ago, piranha said:

The mystery specimen matches with this illustration by Jasper Burns: Undescribed dalmanitid from the Needmore Formation.

 

Burns, J. 1991

Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States with Localities, Collecting Tips, and Illustrations of more than 450 Fossil Specimens.

The Johns Hopkins University Press, 200 pp.

wow, i even have this book and looked through it but passed this illustration. the angle/placement of the eyes is slightly different, along with my specimen lacking that texture on his glabella. but thats such a close match otherwise that im sure if i look through different genera of dalmanitidae ill find a match

[piranha]

A dalmanitid specialist is also stumped and has requested a photo of the counterpart. Thanks!

[ScottBlooded]

12 hours ago, piranha said:

A dalmanitid specialist is also stumped and has requested a photo of the counterpart. Thanks!

Is this what he was asking for? Hopefully enough detail, if not I can take better photos and email them if necessary

[ScottBlooded]

13 hours ago, piranha said:

A dalmanitid specialist is also stumped and has requested a photo of the counterpart. Thanks!

Also took this much closer up shot of his glabella and noticed those lines along the anterior, not sure if those are cracks or part of his morphology. Also realized that you can actually see his other still attached eye, at least the top of it 

[piranha]

Here is the reply from the dalmanitid specialist.  If you have any interest, please send me a PM for additional contact info.

 

 

Very interesting specimen and very strange! The dalmanitid is undoubtedly new. It appears to belong to the Synphoriinae but is unlike any current genus in that subfamily in the shape of the glabella with very long frontal lobe, very long genal spines and unusual structure of the pleural ribs on the thorax and pygidium. It really is quite odd.

 

I’d be interested in describing it, if nobody else has a claim, but there really needs to be more material, even though the specimen is almost complete. What are the chances of collecting additional specimens from the same locality? The collector would also need to donate the specimens. I would lodge them in a museum of his choosing – the Smithsonian’s USNM would be an obvious place. I’d be happy to name the species after the collector.

[minnbuckeye]

Great find.       Very interesting conversation!!!            Look forward to what goes on.     Consider entry into fossil of the month. 

 

 Mike

[piranha]

16 minutes ago, minnbuckeye said:

Consider entry into fossil of the month.

 

 

Hopefully a donation of an important new genus/species named in honor of the finder, supersedes all other considerations.

[Sjfriend]

Great looking trilobite! Congrats on possible new species!!

[ScottBlooded]

1 hour ago, piranha said:

Here is the reply from the dalmanitid specialist.  If you have any interest, please send me a PM for additional contact info.

 

 

Very interesting specimen and very strange! The dalmanitid is undoubtedly new. It appears to belong to the Synphoriinae but is unlike any current genus in that subfamily in the shape of the glabella with very long frontal lobe, very long genal spines and unusual structure of the pleural ribs on the thorax and pygidium. It really is quite odd.

 

I’d be interested in describing it, if nobody else has a claim, but there really needs to be more material, even though the specimen is almost complete. What are the chances of collecting additional specimens from the same locality? The collector would also need to donate the specimens. I would lodge them in a museum of his choosing – the Smithsonian’s USNM would be an obvious place. I’d be happy to name the species after the collector.

Hah, sorry you just made my life. Yes, more than willing to donate whatever I find, the Smithsonian sounds great and naming it after my wife would mean the world to me. As to additional specimens, I’m willing to spend as much time as it takes out there looking. The site is very productive but I’ve never knowingly run across one like this here before. Then again I was never looking and could have already come across some partials without realizing. Also seems like this specimen has the rest still buried in matrix on the right side, but I’m guessing it’s best if I leave that alone before donating it? Also while I’m guessing any pieces I find associated with this species are desirable, are there any specific parts that would be more valuable to you than others?

[piranha]

Yes, I would also suggest no additional prep. I will send you the contact info via PM. Congrats!

[RCFossils]

Fantastic!

Congratulations on discovering a fantastic specimen.

[FossilDAWG]

Congratulations and thanks for your willingness to donate the specimen.  A possible new genus of trilobite is an exceptional find, likely once in a lifetime.  I suspect additional material of the cephalon (head) would be most valuable as that seems to contain most of the important characters.  Perhaps other Forum members could look over their Needmore Formation material and see if that have any specimens that seem similar.

 

Don

[Huntonia]

Congrats! We all appreciate your help to the scientific community! 

I look forward to seeing it described! 

[Malcolmt]

That is awesome

 

[Top Trilo]

That is really cool and an amazing accomplishment congratulations 

[ScottBlooded]

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/needmorella-a-new-trilobite-genus-of-the-synphoriinae-dalmanitidae-from-the-lowermiddle-devonian-of-west-virginia/2450BEDE4E2AF31E71888F27806482DA
 

I joined this place when I found this trilobite. It was the first “complete” (don’t get technical with me) trilobite I had ever found. That’s how much of an amateur I was. And still am. But I suppose less so now. It was the 5th rock I looked at this day. It opened perfectly. I immediately hooted loudly.

I came here because someone on Reddit recommended it. I’d never tried to find out exactly what species I’d found when I’d made previous finds, but then again I’d never found a complete trilobite either so it felt like it was time for me to finally try to learn this stuff. While I gave myself a crash course on https://www.trilobites.info (sincerely, bless that wonderful site, please never update your look), you guys were here trying to help me.
The last subfamily I googled that looked close after having narrowed it down to the still nebulous Dalmanitidae and giving up was Synphoriinae, the only stuff I could find being published by a man named David Holloway. Then @piranhacame through and hit me with the above comments. My then-pregnant wife was upstairs going to bed and I must have scared her half to death running up there. Then we were both laughing. Couldn’t believe it. Still can’t.

@piranhalet me know that the professional who had IDed my find was, in fact, David Holloway and that it belonged to the Synphoriinae. So as undereducated as I was and still very much am, I kind of pat myself on the back for arriving in the right neck of the woods.
However, to describe the genus/species, he would need more specimens. So for almost a year I traveled to the site an hour and a half from my home. Over and over and over. And took notes. NOTES. I don’t know how to say this but I am not a “notes in a notebook” dude. In the mean time my wife and I were having our first child and moving completely on our own with three beagles to boot why not. And for a long time I didn’t find anything. But eventually, after a small rock slide exposed a bunch of new material, I hit the jackpot. And by jackpot, I mean small partials, mostly in poor condition. You see, that’s mostly what this site yields: a lot of material, but delicate, poorly preserved in many cases, and for trilobites only partials. But I couldn’t find my guy at any other sites, so I don’t know, dance with the one that brung ya?

Anyhow I finally felt like I had enough to bother someone as important as David Holloway.

He was incredible to work with. Unbelievably considerate and inclusive, he never treated me as anything other than a peer despite that being far from the case in every regard. He narrowed down the specimens he needed, then it was time to SHIP THEM TO AUSTRALIA.

Oh yeah, that’s where David Holloway lives and works. I live in the US. As you can imagine this stressed me out beyond belief. I was…let’s say abundantly cautious with my packing. Did this add to the cost? Sure. Did I, at this point, care? Pffft.

With only a minor snafu in customs (aaaaah) it finally made it there perfectly intact. From there things went as smoothly as you can imagine from a professional with as many years of experience as he has. He prepped the specimens beautifully, photographed everything, and wrote a paper on it that it took me three days, 5 papers, a note book and a cork board of reference material in front of me to even begin to understand. It was amazing. He asked if I wanted to be coauthor on the paper. Me! I was an artist who primarily made his living making meatloaf, only higher education I had was in photography. Asked who I wanted to name the species after. Initially wanted to name it for my wife but she and I both agreed it would be better to name it for our son, Simon, who was born while all this was happening and will have a gimme for show-and-tell forever. I told him tonight he has a trilobite named after him and he was excited (he’s a very smart almost two year old, he has a dog named onions so he understands naming something after something else).

Anyway, needless to say this has all been…unbelievable. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. I’m eternally in debt to this community and look at discovering it as another happy side effect of discovering the fossil. I’m especially grateful to @piranha however who I promise this is the last time I’m tagging in this post.

Oh and I plan to make a post in general fossil discussion soon of all my finds that weren’t part of the paper. Or at least some of them, hah.

 

Brian

Edited December 7, 2022 by ScottBlooded

[Tidgy's Dad]

How absolutely marvelous. 

What a super story.

[Top Trilo]

That's amazing! I remember when this thread started with that beautiful trilobite.

I looked at 2022_in_arthropod_paleontology#Trilobites and found this,

Again, amazing!

[ScottBlooded]

4 minutes ago, Top Trilo said:

That's amazing! I remember when this thread started with that beautiful trilobite.

I looked at 2022_in_arthropod_paleontology#Trilobites and found this,

Again, amazing!

Thank you for sharing this. I know it may be a small thing for many, but stuff like this makes me tear up. 

[Misha]

I agree with everyone else, this is fantastic

Seeing this topic pop up again I remembered your find and I think I even saw the original post on reddit. Thank you for sharing this story and paper.

 

Do you have access to the full article? Or maybe @piranha? I would like to read through it and I tried going there through my university and with sci-hub but neither worked

Edited December 7, 2022 by Misha