Acadoparadoxides

Acadoparadoxides is a genus of trilobite that lived during the Middle Cambrian period, approximately 500 million years ago. The genus is named after the Academy of Sciences in the former USSR, where the first specimen was studied.

A fossil of Acadoparadoxides levisettii from the Middle Cambrian of Morocco.

Description

Acadoparadoxides are large trilobites, with some specimens reaching up to 50 cm in length. They have a semi-circular cephalon (head) with large, crescent-shaped eyes and a long, segmented thorax. The pygidium (tail) is small and semi-circular, similar to the cephalon.

Distribution

Fossils of Acadoparadoxides have been found in various locations around the world, including Morocco, Spain, Czech Republic, and Siberia. They are particularly common in the Jbel Wawrmast Formation in Morocco.

Taxonomy

The genus Acadoparadoxides was first described by the Russian paleontologist Anatoliy Rozanov in 1966. It belongs to the family Paradoxididae, which is known for its large size and distinctive morphology.

Ecology

Acadoparadoxides, like other trilobites, were marine animals. They likely lived on the sea floor, where they fed on detritus and small organisms. Their large size and robust exoskeleton suggest that they were relatively slow-moving, but capable of burrowing into the sediment.

See also

• List of trilobite genera
• Cambrian explosion
• Burgess Shale