Paladin Mississippian trilobites, north east England

[TqB]

A near complete, partly enrolled Paladin sp. found a couple of days ago, lying in three pieces in a pile of disintegrating mudstone. Brigantian stage (Mississippian), N.E. England, UK.

 

I spent ages unsuccessfully looking for the missing bit but never mind, it's still the nearest to a whole one I've found for about four years - decent Carboniferous trilobites are generally hard to come by though moulted bits are quite common at the site.

 

This stuff falls apart when wet and another spell of rain would have completely destroyed it. Apart from gluing, no prepping was needed.

 

1.5cm long

 

 

[caldigger]

Send it over to Tidgy's Dad, his boys will fill in that missing piece quick as lightening.

You want spikes on it, sure.

Put it on a pedalstool, no problem! 

They can even add a few different species to the plate if you like. 

Or you can just have it copied so every other booth in Tucson will be selling the likeness of your bug by next year. 

 

Seriously, glad you were able to locate the bits that you did. Somewhere out there is a whole one with your name on it just waiting for your discovery.

[Kane]

Great find, Tarquin! It looks as though you saved it just in time, too. Definitely 

[procurator]

Very interesting. Very good finding!

In Russia, we also find trilobites of the genus Paladin. I have only head

[Fossildude19]

Still a noteworthy and excellent find, Tarquin!  

Congratulations on this. 

 

[TqB]

@caldigger @Kane @Fossildude19 Thanks, guys, I don't normally go after trilobites but they occasionally turn up when I'm looking for other stuff.

 

@procurator Thanks, that's a beautifully preserved head!

 

A few years ago, this lot turned up at the same site - it's very degraded at the moment so the one in my first post was a pleasant, if frustrating, surprise.

One or two show promise though the mudstone is always rather shattered and the shell flakes off if you breathe on it...

 

They're all less than 2cm long (like most Carboniferous trilobites).

 

This one, which is lying on its side, might prep OK.

 

Another falling apart one, picked up as is in two bits by a stream after being washed out.

 

Enrolled:

 

And the head must be rolled over under here, the genal spine on the left is pointing backwards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[piranha]

1 hour ago, TqB said:

...I don't normally go after trilobites but they occasionally turn up when I'm looking for other stuff.

 

 

Better late than never... there may be hope for you yet!  lol   Congrats! 

 

Here is the citation from Morris 1988: 

 

Paladin mucronatus rotundatus Osmólska, 1970
1970 Paladin (Paladin) mucronatus rotundatus Osmolska, p. 136, pI. 20, figs. 1,9.
Holotype. By original designation; BM In56282, original of Osmólska 1970, pI. 20, fig.1 from the Four Fathom LS,

Lower Carboniferous (Brigantian) Ireshope Burn, near Stanhope; Co. Durham, England. Grid Ref. NY 8582 3811.

 

Osmólska, H. 1970
Revision of non-Cyrtosymbolinid Trilobites from the Tournaisian-Namurian of Eurasia.
Palaeontologia Polonica 23:1-165   PDF LINK

 

Morris, S.F. 1988
A review of British Trilobites, including a synoptic revision of Salter's Monograph.
Palaeontographical Society, London. Monograph, 574:1-316

[TqB]

46 minutes ago, piranha said:

 

 

Better late than never... there may be hope for you yet!  lol   Congrats! 

 

Here is the citation from Morris 1988: 

 

Paladin mucronatus rotundatus Osmólska, 1970
1970 Paladin (Paladin) mucronatus rotundatus Osmolska, p. 136, pI. 20, figs. 1,9.
Holotype. By original designation; BM In56282, original of Osmólska 1970, pI. 20, fig.1 from the Four Fathom LS,

Lower Carboniferous (Brigantian) Ireshope Burn, near Stanhope; Co. Durham, England. Grid Ref. NY 8582 3811.

 

Osmólska, H. 1970
Revision of non-Cyrtosymbolinid Trilobites from the Tournaisian-Namurian of Eurasia.
Palaeontologia Polonica 23:1-165   PDF LINK

 

Morris, S.F. 1988
A review of British Trilobites, including a synoptic revision of Salter's Monograph.
Palaeontographical Society, London. Monograph, 574:1-316

Thank you! At least they don't take up much room. 

 

 

 

[Bullsnake]

I heard they ate sponges!

 

That's a nice find Tarquin!

[TqB]

10 hours ago, Bullsnake said:

I heard they ate sponges!

 

That's a nice find Tarquin!

Thanks, Steve, I hadn't heard that.  Back to corals and belemnites now, I felt a bit uneasy straying into trilo territory. 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Marvelous trilobites all! 

Great finds, Tarquin. 

And as @caldigger suggested, if you want spines, extra eyes or different species added to the plates, just send them my way. 

[TqB]

3 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Marvelous trilobites all! 

Great finds, Tarquin. 

And as @caldigger suggested, if you want spines, extra eyes or different species added to the plates, just send them my way. 

Thanks, Adam! Carboniferous trilobites are a bit decoratively challenged, it's true...