Enrolled Morocops Trilobite | Morocco

Morocops
Lower Devonian
Ofaten, Morocco

Trilobite approx. size: 25mm x 23mm x 20mm

This specimen has excellent eye facet preservation and excellent detail on the body.

Morocops is a genus of phacopid trilobite from the Devonian period, widely known from the rich fossil beds of Morocco. Collectors value Morocops for its distinctive eye structure, well-defined cephalon, and typically excellent preservation from Moroccan limestone nodules.

Key Features

• Eyes (Schizochroal):
Morocops has large, elevated compound eyes with schizochroal lenses - each lens individually set, giving a remarkably detailed visual system. The eyes often protrude noticeably from the cephalon.

• Cephalon (Head Shield):
Rounded and broad, sometimes with subtle glabellar furrows. The glabella tends to be inflated with well-defined axial segments.

• Thorax:
Made up of multiple articulated segments that allow a natural rolled (“enrolled”) preservation in many specimens.

• Pygidium (Tail):
Typically small to medium-sized relative to the cephalon, rounded, and evenly segmented.

• Surface Texture:
Fine granulation or tuberculation often appears across the cephalon and thorax, depending on species. The preservation from Moroccan nodules can be exceptional, showing extremely crisp surface detail.

• Size:
Commonly 3–6 cm (1–2.5 inches), though some species may exceed this.