BIRUG 6034 Acidaspis brightii - Trilobite

BIRUG6034 is a Silurian Trilobite from Dudley, England. This species hails from the same quarry as the famous “Dudley Bug” (*Calymene blumenbachii*); in this specimen the majority of the cephalon (head) is preserved alongside a thorax (body) segment and fragments of bryozoans. The cephalon is quite bulbous towards the center and narrows quickly to the edges leading into spines on the sides and back of the cephalon. Being part of the genus *Acidaspis*, this trilobite would likely have had spines adorning its thorax and pygidium (tail). This trilobite was an epifaunal predator that likely hunted worms and other soft-bodied organisms. This specimen was collected from the Much Wenlock Limestone Formation in Dudley, was purchased from Charles Ketley in 1880 and now forms part of the Museum’s Ketley Collection. Scanning was performed by Amir Rahman using an Artec Spider 3D scanner. Description by Jonathan Kimel.