Phacops Intriguing Original Description

[piranha]

Prior to Edward Lhwyd publishing the first illustration of a trilobite (Flat Fish) in 1698, there were a few scattered brief descriptions of trilobites in the literature including one possible earliest reference in Albertus Magnus' work Mineralia, circa 1260. According to scholars of early trilobite research, the first published description of a trilobite in North America occurred in 1819 courtesy of Henry M’Murtrie. Unfortunately no figured drawing was produced at the time, but the details of a snapping turtle-like creature with prominent eyes was most likely a Phacops. The Treatise volume O (1959) lists it tentatively as Phacops [=?Somatrikelon McMurtrie, 1819]. Although Somatrikelon megalomaton has no priority, technically it still beats out the first official description from Europe of Calymene [=Phacops] latifrons Bronn, 1825.

 

At any rate, a fun slice of trivia and obscure name for one of the most iconic trilobites in the world.

 

 

M’Murtrie, H., (McMurtrie) 1819

Fossil Organic Remains.

In: Sketches of Louisville and its environs.

Louisville, S. Penn, pp. 74-75

 

Bronn, H.G. (1825)
Über zwei neue Trilobiten-Arten zum Calymene-Geschlechte gehörig.
Taschenbuch für die gesammte Mineralogie, pp. 317-321

St. John, J. (2007)

The earliest trilobite research (antiquity to the 1820s). pp. 201-211

In: Kluessendorf, J. Landing, E., & Mikulic, D.G.

Fabulous Fossils: 300 Years of Worldwide Research on Trilobites.

New York State Museum Bulletin, 507:1-248

 

 

[xonenine]

thanks Scott, fascinating!

[Malcolmt]

First time I have heard of a phacops mouth being like that of a snapping turtle......

[piranha]

On 1/22/2014 at 1:57 PM, xonenine said:

thanks Scott, fascinating!

On 1/22/2014 at 2:19 PM, Malcolmt said:

First time I have heard of a phacops mouth being like that of a snapping turtle......

 

 

The early trilobite research is quite fanciful compared to current standards! Apparently Somatrikelon was doomed to sink as the type specimen was lost and the name was synonymous with the word 'Trilobite' already in use to describe the class. Emmrich, 1839 gets credit for the new genus Phacops; from the Greek word phakos, meaning lens of the eye, or in the case of Phacops, multiple lensed eyes. Fast forward and many middle Devonian Phacops in North America are now sunk in place of Eldredgeops Struve, 1990. McMurtrie did his best, although not turtle-like, but more frog-like as P. rana would endure as the type species Phacops for North America.

 

This excellent book is a great read and resource:

 

Mikulic, D.G., Landing, E., & Kluessendorf, J, eds. (2007)

Fabulous Fossils: 300 Years of Worldwide Research on Trilobites.

New York State Museum Bulletin, 507:1-248

 

OPEN ACCESS PDF

[Malcolmt]

I am actually fortunate enough to own a hard copy of fabulous fossils. Not all of the papers in it are equally good but a few are very good(Cincinnati, early trilobite research etc...)

[xonenine]

my PDFs being somewhat disorganized still, I will download it and be told it already exists I bet.

thanks again!