Triple Trilobite Cluster | Hollardops and Austerops | Morocco

Hollardops sp. and Austerops sp.
Middle Devonian
Ofaten, Morocco

Hollardops Trilobite approx. size: 2" x 1.25"

Upper Austerops Trilobite approx. size: 1.25" x 1"

Lower Austerops Trilobite approx. size: 1" x 0.75"

Matrix approx. size: 5.5" x 5" x 2.5"

*Note: This trilobite cluster is forward heavy and can tip easily.

Hollardops lived during the Middle Devonian period (~390 million years ago) in the warm, shallow seas that once covered what is now the Anti-Atlas region of Morocco. They lived on the seafloor in shallow tropical seas, scavenging and feeding on organic material within the sediment. Their well-developed eyes gave them excellent vision for detecting predators and navigating complex reef environments.

Most specimens of Hollardops range in size from 3 to 9 cm long. Their thorax usually consisted of 10 articulated segments, allowing for flexibility and enrollment (the ability to roll into a defensive ball). They possess a small to medium, triangular pygidium (tail) that has 5 pairs of pleural spines projecting from it.

Like other Phacopids, Hollardops is known for its schizochroal eyes that contained hundreds of individual lenses, giving the trilobite nearly panoramic vision. The well-developed eyes and elongated genal spines (spikes projecting from the head) make this species instantly recognizable.

Austerops was a small marine trilobite that lived during the Middle Devonian period (~390 million years ago). It had a hard, segmented exoskeleton divided into a head (cephalon), body, and tail (pygidium).

One of its most noticeable features was its large eyes, made up of many individual lenses. Its body was generally rounded, with a relatively smooth surface and small bumps or ridges.

Austerops lived on the seafloor, where it likely crawled across the sediment looking for food. Like other trilobites, it could shed its exoskeleton as it grew.

In simple terms: Austerops was a Devonian sea-floor trilobite with a rounded body, large compound eyes, and a hard, segmented shell.