Rare Spiny Heliopeltis johnsoni Trilobite | Devonian | Morocco

SPECIES Heliopeltis johnsoni AGE Middle Devonian LOCATION Jebel Issoumour, Morocco   Specimen size approx 2.75" long 1.75" wide  Matrix size approx 7.5" tall by 6.5" across UV light photo included to show where the matrix was glued back together, called the "find break". Also shows the lack of restoration, this is a near perfect and phenomenal specimen.  Heliopeltis are VERY rare trilobites in Morocco and are seldom offered. This specimen is a natural masterpiece, a must have for demanding collectors. Trilobite, any member of a group of extinct fossil arthropods easily recognized by their distinctive three-lobed, three-segmented form. Trilobites, exclusively marine animals, first appeared at the beginning of the Cambrian Period, about 542 million years ago, when they dominated the seas. Trilobite means "Three Lobes" which refers to the three main sections of it's body, a central lobe and two pleural lobes.  Like many invertebrate animals living today, including crustaceans, spiders and insects, trilobites were arthropods, belonging to the phylum Arthropoda.