Wutingaspis tingi Trilobite from Chengjiang Maotianshan Shale

This trilobite is a member of the Order Redlichiida, Family Redlichiidae from the Early Cambrian Heilinpu Formation deposits of Caijiachong Valley, Yunnan Province, China, known as Wutingaspis tingi.

The Redlichioids of this type are considered by Richard Fortey to be the sister group to all of the “higher” (non-Olenelloid) trilobites. This trilobite is among the so called Chengjiang Biota that provides the most important lens for study of the Cambrian Explosion, and is some 5-10 million years younger than the Burgess Shale fauna. Several fragments of a much larger Redlichiid trilobite can be seen on both sides of the plate.

Also see: Chengjiang Biota