This trilobite is probably largely unknown due to its rarity. Parasolenopleura cristata comes from the “Ölandicus-Mergel” of Öland in Sweden. It is an old find from the 80s of the last century, which was prepared by me only recently. The site has not been accessible for several years, as it is located in a nature reserve. Almost all of the old finds were prepared at that time and are usually more or less badly damaged and covered with graver or needle marks. It is therefore a rare example of extreme luck that this piece remained untouched for about 4 decades and could now be adequately prepared using modern preparation techniques.

The majority of trilobites recovered from this site by far are exuviae without free cheeks. The special feature of this specimen is that the left free cheek is preserved. The trilobite is in a slightly curved position, which shows the axial spines to their best advantage. The extremely well preserved calcite shell, very well inflated and with axial spines, is a special feature for the Middle Cambrian. The preparation of the present piece proved to be difficult, as the trilobite was relatively badly cracked. Individual areas therefore had to be transferred and/or secured. In addition, the rock proved to be extremely hard. 

Fossil: Parasolenopleura cristata LINNARSSON 1877

Locality: Öland (Sweden)

Formation: Lower Middle Cambrian, Acadoparadoxides oelandicus zone, Ölandicus-Mergel

Length of the trilobite: about 2.6 cm

Work required: 16 hours