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| Color variation is due to lighting | |
| These rare specimens come from a quarry in New York where Triarthrus trilobites are found with preserved appendages, antennae and other organs. The preservation of these specimens is astounding, and the skillful preparation that is required to reveal these features can take hours and hours of slow, painstaking work. The state of preservation and the skill of the preparator rival even the finest Bundenbach Trilobites that I've ever seen. The Bundenbach specimens don't even come close in micro-preservation!! These specimens average in length at 1 cm. The trilobite specimens are colorfully preserved in glittering gold pyrite by mother nature. |
| "Modern and extinct arthropods, including trilobites, have an outer carapace or shell, made from a complex form a calcite incorporating proteins and polysaccharides, often referred to simply as chiton. For ease of understanding, a trilobite’s dorsal shell exoskeleton can be compared to the shell of a crab for some species, or a bit softer for others. The ventral (underside) membrane of the trilobite, along with its legs and antennae, were not hardened as the dorsal surface. These soft parts had a similar consistency of the dangling legs of a shrimp and their rather soft antennae. When a trilobite is fossilized these soft tissues have a very slim chance of preserved, much less than that of the hard-calcified exoskeleton. To quantify the rarity of soft tissue preservation, I would say with confidence, that only the hard, calcified dorsal exoskeleton is seen in a percentage greater than 99.9% of the time. That means of all the trilobites ever fossilized over the course of several hundred million years, less than .01% of these animals show evidence of soft tissue preservation. This extreme rarity expressed in percentage value is shocking. From an evolutionary standpoint the soft tissues of early animals such as trilobites is an opportunity to understand how organisms evolved to meet challenges in ever changing environments, and ultimately avoid or succumb to extinction." |
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These specimens
are not from the Beecher Beds, but
are from a new locality with a limited number of initial specimens available
for sale before it goes under control of the academic community. |
(Click HERE for additional specimens)
Last Modified 09/26/2008
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(Click Photo to Enlarge)
Name: Triarthrus eatoniGeologic Age: Ordovician (445 Million Years Old)
Stratigraphic detail: Lorraine Shale
Location: Oneida Co., New York
Comments: This is the first, and likely the last time that a plate such as this will be offered to collectors. This is an incredible multiple specimen plate with SEVEN trilobites, 5 of which are complete, all with soft tissue preserved in golden pyrite! To make things even more unbelievably rare four of the trilobites are ventrals! There is even a coiled up "acorn worm" in the middle of the plate to add to the exceptional rarity!
To start the two large ventrals on the plate are stunning! The largest ventral measures 2.6cm not including antennae length. The second large ventral measures 2cm. These two large ventrals are touching each other and even intermingle their soft tissues as the one trilobite's antenna extends over the belly and legs of the larger trilobite. The larger trilobites cephalic legs are even bent to accommodate the head of the 2cm ventral nudging up against it. The preservation on these two larger ventrals are in the top 5% of what have ever been found.
The largest ventral is has exceptional details of its soft tissues including a very well defined intestinal tract running the length of the trilobite. The sediment inside the intestine is more fine-grained than the surrounding sediment and is abraded quickly leaving the empty space and intestinal outline. This trilobite also has amazing other features such as a looped antenna, mouth area, antennae abduction muscles and anal tube. This specimen alone is an incredible find. Behind this trilobite's long, backward extending pygidial legs is a partial trilobite.
The smaller 2cm ventral, yet still larger-than-average trilobite from this formation is exceptionally preserved. The antenna are very long and well preserved, right down to the delicate segmentation and elongated tips. The legs are amazingly robust; with some of the inner pairs of legs so inflated they actually cast shadows!
There is a smaller lateral trilobite nest to the 2cm ventral which is another excellent specimen. Both of its long sweeping antennae extending a distance nearly half the length of the trilobite itself! The legs on this specimen are extended outward as if the trilobite is swimming across the plate!
There are two other 1cm ventral trilobites on this plate. One is sitting right on the edge of the plate just above the lateral; the other is on the opposite side of the plate just behind a partial trilobite. This ventral has exceptionally preserved gills. The partial consists of an impression with several visible legs.
The small acorn worm is coiled up and they are almost always found this way. These pyritized soft body worms are unique to this site.
World Class Triartrus eatoni Trilobite - Price $6500.00