Hoplolichoides Trilobite

Hoplolichoides Trilobite
Hoplolichoides conicotuberculatus
Late Ordovician, Early Caradocian
Viivikonna Formation, St. Petersburg Region, Russia
With its pin-cushion carapace, few trilobites ever unearthed can be considered stranger than this species of Hoplolichoides. Science is still debating over the exact function such a spine-covered outer shell may have served; the logical assumption is that it provided the animal with a degree of protection from the ever-increasing number of predators which filled the Ordovician oceans. Measuring 2 3/8 x 2 3/8in; Including matrix, measuring 7in