This Hoplolichas furcifer specimen is testament to the creativity of adaptation by means of natural selection, as well as to the art of trilobite preparators. The spinous nature of the exoskeleton of this trilobite is a common phenotypic trait of members of Order Lichida (as well as Order Odontopleurida that was formerly Lichida Superfamily Odontopleuroidea); of course, spines are a common feature of trilobites from their earliest origins, and appear in diverse and elaborate displays. The selective pressure for nature’s spinous creativity was of course the perpetual evolutionary arms race between predator and prey. The 100 sharp spines of this trilobite would have been a nasty morsel to even some of the newer reef system predators of the Ordovician seas, such as fish with jaws. The Hypostome that served as a support for the mouthparts is prepared and clearly visible in this specimen.

These images were taken some 20 years ago and have since propagated far and wide on the Internet, as well as those of Hoplolichas tricuspidatus, Hoplolichas plautini and Metopolichas verrucosus. It is not easy to miss the eye lenses that very closely resemble schizochroal eyes (with far fewer lenses than holochroal eyes and each lens with an individual cornea) that are found exclusively in trilobites of Order Phacopid, Suborder Phacopina. However, the number of lenses in this Hoplolichas are far fewer than the typical few hundred to 700 found in Phacopina (albeit, there are some Phacopina with greatly reduced number of lenses, apparently an evolutionary adaptation). It is hardly unusual for the crystal lenses to be preserved in magnificent detail in Phacopida (above right), and the Hoplolichas eyes seen here have been manufactured accordingly. More recently prepared Hoplolichas sport the ostensibly correct holochroal versions with thousands of tiny lenses, as shown above.

Also see: Russian Trilobites