Duslia insignis (Jahn 1893)
Era: Paleozoic
Period: Upper Ordovician
Stange: Sandbian (458.4 - 453.0  Ma)
Location: Bou Nemrou, El Kaid Rami
Province: Errachidía, Morocco
Coordinates: 31°19'33.8"N 4°31'33.3"W
Matrix measures: 25mm / 3.62" x 0.928" x 0.928"
Arthropod Measurements: 39mm / 1.54"
Weight: 412g / 0.910lb
Description: Extraordinarily rare piece, it is the first time that we have found this species in Toptrilos.
Originally, Dushia insignis (Jahn 1893) was established from specimens collected from the Upper Ordovician of the Letná Formation of Bohemia. Then they are considered polyplacophorous molluscs (chitons). Quickly, however, this species was recognized as an arthropod and then placed in the burlingid trilobites. It was only in the late 1980s that Chlupác (1988) considered Duslia as a representative of the chelonielids located between the "trilobitomorphs" and the chelicerates. Soon after, Simonetta Delle Cave (1991) preferred to consider Duslia as a possible crustacean, but later studies favored a phylogenetic link to chelicerates (cf. Van Roy, 2006). In 2006 Van Roy was able to attribute to Duslia insignis several dozen specimens discovered in the late 1990s in the Upper Ordovician of the Anti-Atlas. Over the years, a few hundred specimens have been offered for sale. Most come from Djebel Tijarfaïouine and, more precisely, from various levels of sandstone from the upper Premier Bani Group and the lower Ktaoua Formation of the El Caïd Rami region. They show very little compaction or deformation and are fully articulated. Its original (non-mineralized) cuticle has been replaced by relatively thick authigenic mineralization that ranges in color from pink to purple to reddish-brown. Often it is possible to see the digestive tract.
Source: Fossils from Morocco (Patrice Lebrun)
 
This piece will travel insured in a safety package to arrive in perfect condition.