Amazing "Flying" Metacanthina Trilobite

The preparation on this specimen of Metacanthina issoumourensis is simply spectacular. All of the surrounding matrix and much of the matrix underneath the trilobite has been removed so that it "flies" on a pedestal of rock. Only the most skilled preparators can do this type of work, and it requires dozens of hours of work under microscope where even the most minute mistake can spell disaster.

The trilobite is 2 inches long (large for the species) with exceptional shell preservation. Even all of the individual eye facets can be seen. It was quarried from the Lower Devonian Formations near Atchana, Morocco. This species has often been referred to as "Asteropyge" or “Kayserops” but it's genus really is Metacanthina. There is no restoration on this specimen and you truly will not find a more spectacular example.