Cryptolithus radiatilis BIRUG 49305

BIRUG 49305 is a small specimen of the Ordovician trilobite *Cryptolithus radiatilis* – a member of the group Trinucleidae. These trilobites are characterised by their relatively large heads, ornamented with an anterior and lateral pitted fringe and often highly elongated genal spines. Relative to the head, the thorax is extremely small, with the axial (middle) lobe being less than one third the width of the pleural (side) lobes. These trilobites lack eyes, indicating a strong adaptation to dark benthic environments. Because trinucleid trilobites emerged at the beginning of the Ordovician and became extinct at the end of that period they are a good indicator taxon for determining geological age. This specimen was collected from Betton in Shropshire by John Wattison and was donated to the Lapworth Museum in 1974. It was digitised with an Artec Spider 3D scanner by Andrew Jones.