Although I may have retired from active collecting, I haven't quit trilobites. I received two parcels yesterday: a Baoshan trilobite and a replacement Paasche AECR so I can get back to preparation. I have purchased a few interesting pieces from this seller for bargain basement prices. I initially thought this was a Nileus, but a trilobite expert corrected me by pointing out the obvious number of segments that puts this in the illaenid camp. Although missing a bit of pygidium and the right cheek, it has a nicely defined broad axis and pleurae. The ongoing problem with all these Baoshan goodies is that many of them haven't been revised since Sheng in 1974, so lack formal description. The matrix is fairly soft, almost clay-like, so the trilobite shells are almost chalky. I'm going to catalogue it as "undescribed illaenid" for the time being, and I hope to pick up some more in the future.
The last few years of collecting have truly defied gravity, but like a bear market with its rallies, the ups are fewer with lower highs and even lower lows. Despite some great luck in the last few years of taking trips, going a lot farther each time, I just may have to face the reality that sites have dried up. Quarry access is a much rarer thing nowaways. Of course, there will always be scraps to be had, brachiopods and corals galore, but the great material is either off limits or tapped out.
I have not been out anywhere substantive since the end of May as there really isn't much of anywhere to go, or just more of the same. Instead, much of the spring and summer -- my time off work -- has been idle, all dressed up with nowhere to go. One can only raid tiny rock piles so many times before one is just busting up the talus for rapidly diminishing returns. What started as a year of promise has gone into the ditch. 2022 has been a not great year, and might be among the last. Perhaps I can still go on some desultory trip here and there, but it seems going home empty-handed is the norm. More of my collecting will likely have to be through purchases at this point. By the time I got into this, collecting in this part of the world was already in its twilight. I certainly raged against that proverbial dying of the light. I suppose it was just a matter of time before even my obstinacy came speeding into that brick wall of how things are. I haven't been out much, but I did hit a local spot and find a partial Terataspis pygidium that I'm prepping. It's midway right now and I'll post that separately. For now, just a quickie of what I got in the mail. Here's some crummy pictures: I've wanted one of these flying bugs for a while, and apart from my amazing Dicranurus, I went with something common. Common, yes, but almost 4 inches at a great price. I just can't fathom doing a prep like this. It ain't perfect, but I got it for a steal. Crotalocephalina gibbus. This replaces my other example gifted to me by a fossil comrade. I just hope there will be no earthquakes any time soon, lol. Yes, the hypostome is also exposed, although I did not photograph it. The flying bugs has become more of a feature in Moroccan trilobites in a tight market. Part of me bought this on the prep alone. I could not do this.
The highlight of my Temiskaming trip back in October ended up being the only decent find I made, but inasmuch as finding Rielaspis is cool (and I have a lovely multi-plate that attests to that and a number of singles), there are some trilobites in the Thornloe Fm that make one stand to attention. Certainly, a complete Distyrax or Stelckaspis are sensational finds on their own, but perhaps an even rarer standout would be the scutellid, Ekwanoscutellum. Fragments are sometimes encountered, mostly pygidia, but complete specimens are almost unheard of (a collecting friend of mine found a near complete one on the same trip, and only discovered that after he had been prepping). These scutellids are fairly large -- the largest trilobites in this formation -- and so are more subject to all sorts of forces that result in disarticulation rather than well composed preservation. Although my specimen is not complete, it is fairly close. Absent the cheeks (or maybe not?) and with exfoliation, it has its demerits. The initial state. And the negative where some of the shell stuck. I focused on where it was buried. The pustulose pygidium has come into focus, and the long pleurae are being steadily and carefully uncovered. I swapped between fine scribe and abrasion, with more of the latter. In all, I spent 15 hours, some of it a bit tricky. Parts of the shell are very thin. The final(?) result. I could not find the cheeks, but maybe I need to probe a bit more. There is still an opportunity for me to transfer some of the negative as well, but I don't feel very confident with my skills to do that. I've applied some consolidant to strengthen the shell and debate next steps. This one measures 8.5 cm, so a veritable giant for Thornloe Fm trilobites.
And this just in... another to add to my very big Russian trilobite collection, Asaphus kotlukovi. 7.8 cm. No, I'm still on the tarmac, waiting for my season to get off the runway again. Thankfully, I got a package in the mail from my friend. He and I went collecting in Quebec, and I couldn't bring all my finds home on the train. I had also nabbed a bunch of specimens from him as well. The microwave oven sized box was a little like Christmas in July (because, well, it is July). Two finds of mine. The Flexicalymene senaria might turn out okay, but there is some missing shell on the pygidium, so likely a B-grader. The one one right is a Ceraurus pleurexanthemus. It's very small, and mostly buried -- which is good, as it has a higher likelihood of being complete. The visible pygidial spine and eye are a good sign. Speaking of prep, this Cyphaspis from Morocco looks interesting. Challenge accepted. This is a real stellar plate, and it just needs some finishing prep. What makes it stellar is not (just) the four trilobites, but the truly "stellar" aspect of it if you can pick it out... Two starfish! And my first two in the collection. My prize find from Temiskaming returns home. My friend says it is virtually unpreppable, but I'm going to give it a go since a near complete Ekwanoscutellum is extremely rare, and likely of scientific significance. Sadly, a large area is exfoliated and in the negative, and there is really no way of guaranteeing it will go back together or just end up destroyed in the process given the matrix. But I can still prep the rest... and I have already put in 14 hours. Once I'm done, it deserves its own blog post, hopefully in the coming days.
I'm certainly a big fan of lichids, perhaps more so than most other Orders of trilobites. One arrived for me in the mail, originally from the Jorf locality in Morocco. May I introduce Akantharges mellishae: Certainly my kudos to the preparator. These partly metamorphosed trilobites (lending them a sort of plasticized look) are not easy to prepare given that they can appear encased in hard chert.
This one used to be known as Basseiarges mellishae, but Allart van Viersen's article last year more properly placed it as a junior synonym of Akantharges. A close look at the pygidium tells the "tail," so to speak. It is a short, but great article for those keen on reading up on lichid literature. Highly recommended: Van Viersen, A. P. Systematics of Devonian trochurine trilobites (Lichidae). N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Abh. 300/2 (2021), 175–187. |
Kane Faucher
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February 2024
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