Isotelus


Isotelus is a genus of asaphid trilobites from the middle and upper Ordovician period, fairly common in the Northeastern United States, northwest Manitoba, southwestern Quebec and southeastern Ontario. One species, Isotelus rex, is currently the world's largest trilobite ever found as a complete fossil.

Discovery and naming

A specimen of Isotelus rex, from Churchill, Manitoba, is the largest complete trilobite ever found. Discovered by Dave Rudkin, Robert Elias, Graham Young and Edward Dobrzanske in 1999, it measures in length, in maximum width and in maximum height.
A number of species have been described:
Many specimens have also been found in Ohio, where Isotelus maximus is the state fossil.

Description