By Joseph “PaleoJoe” Kchodl
MAUROTARIAN axitiosum is a Devonian trilobite from the famous Haragan Formation of Coal County, Oklahoma. This area is well known for the cream colored matrix and the caramel colored calcite the trilobites are preserved as. The preservation and detail of the trilobites from here is outstanding.
This one is quite rare in the formation and very small. It is generally between ¼- and ½-inch long. It has a high glabella on the cephalon and medium length genal spines pointing slightly away from the thorax. The large eyes are set high on the cephalon.
DID YOU KNOW: Trilobites, an extinct form of arthropod related to insects, crabs, crayfish, and horseshoe crabs, are among the most prevalent invertebrates with hard body parts to appear during the Cambrian Period. These creatures are called trilobite due to the three distinct “lobes” running vertically through the body section.
About the columnist: Joseph “PaleoJoe” Kchodl is a paleontologist, educator, veteran, author, fossil dig organizer/guide, business owner, husband, father, and grandfather, and fossil fanatic. For decades, he’s spent hours in classrooms around the Midwestern United States and beyond, speaking to school children about fossils and fossil hunting. Visit his site to purchase fossils, contact PaleoJoe, visit www.paleojoe.com.
Plus, learn more about PaleoJoe and his daughter PaleoJen and their paleontology exploration partnership in an the article “Fueling a Passion for Paleontology“.