Olenellus fowleri Cambrian Trilobite from Pioche Formation

This is a particularly well preserved specimen of Olenellus fowleri. It has very good color and presence. All the spines and the delicate opistothorax are preserved. There is some damage to the glabella. The species has been recently described in 1998. It is one of the rarer species found at this location. The genus is restricted to the early Cambrian (540-520 million years ago), making them good index fossils. They have a most distinctive large cephalon containing crescentic eyes, and most are only found as a preserved cephalon.