Trilobite Ids Please.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, friends! 

I am currently sorting through my Devonian trilobites from that rather wonderful country - Morocco! 

Now I picked this first one up from a shop that had a whole table covered in the same species, and boxes underneath. The proprietor only knew they were from south west Morocco, but I was fairly certain from my accrued knowledge that they were "Izi", the Amazigh (language of the indigenous Berber people) for flies as they are so numerous at some localities. This is thus likely to be Gerastos tuberculatus marocensis, and since they were cheap as chips and I haggled, I left with this one in my greedy paws. Not perfect, but nice enough as an example of the species. 

  

It's a very small bug and i've only done a teensy bit of my own prepping on it so far. 

At a junk shop in Fes, I found a box with about twenty poorly prepped trilobites that again I was able t purchase at very little cost, just a few dollars each. These look like they've been used for trainees to practice their prepping and then discarded. Common enough species, but with a bit of fiddling they can end up looking reasonable. 

One of the specimens seems to be Gerastos, but it's a lot bigger than the first one and the dimensions look a little different. Is it the same species but with regional or chronological variation? The little one is probably Upper Emsian, are the Eifelian examples bigger? Is it another species of Gerastos from the Middle Devonian? Or another proetid genus? Just that I have a small one and a big one? I would be interested in anyone's thoughts on this, please. 

I have done a moderate amount of pin prep on the larger specimen, but it's hard work and I'd like to know if it's worth continuing. 

Here are some of the other trilobites from the box where the bigger one was found. Looks like the same matrix and prepping style to me, different coloured rock to the first specimen. Haven't prepped or formally identified these yet, but maybe Hollardops, Coltraneia, and something akin to Cornuproetus? Possibly from the same locality, maybe not or if so maybe different levels? No way of knowing.

  

Thank you to all who take a look and double thanks for any helpful comments.

@piranha@Kane

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by Tidgy's Dad

[JamieLynn]

Can't help but...PRETTY! I want to visit you.

[Tidgy's Dad]

1 hour ago, JamieLynn said:

Can't help but...PRETTY! I want to visit you.

You would be more than welcome here. 

It's a beautiful country with beautiful people and a plethora of wonderful fossils, my friend. 

[Fossildude19]

@piranha

[piranha]

On 2/20/2023 at 12:34 PM, Tidgy's Dad said:

One of the specimens seems to be Gerastos, but it's a lot bigger than the first one and the dimensions look a little different.

 

 

Large Gerastos tuberculatus marocensis can range in size up to approximately 4 cm.

 

This one appears to be a very good match.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

3 hours ago, piranha said:

 

 

Large Gerastos tuberculatus marocensis can range in size up to approximately 4 cm.

 

This one appears to be a very good match.

Yes, it does. And rather better prepped too.

Thank you very much, Scott, it's spiffing to have a large and small one of the same species. 

 

And thanks to @JamieLynnfor posting a nice comment and Tim @Fossildude19for helping out. 

And thank you also to the hundred + folks who had a look at the thread.