description Spatulina Overview
Spatulina is an extinct genus of proetid trilobites from the Carboniferous. It was established for fossils originally described as Phillipsia spatulata from the Coddon Hill Chert Formation in England, and the genus is characterized in part by a spatula-shaped pygidium. The name Spatulina was later found to be preoccupied by a fly genus, so some taxonomic treatments use the replacement name Spatulata. It belongs to the order Proetida and family Proetidae.
help Spatulina FAQ
What kind of trilobite was Spatulina?
Spatulina was an extinct Carboniferous proetid trilobite genus. It was established for fossils originally described as Phillipsia spatulata.
Why is Spatulina called Spatulina?
The name refers to the spatula-shaped pygidium, or tail shield, that characterizes the genus. This shape helped distinguish it from related proetid trilobites.
Where was Spatulina first described from?
The genus was based on fossils from the Coddon Hill Chert Formation in England. Those rocks preserve Carboniferous marine fossils.
What is a pygidium in a trilobite?
The pygidium is the fused tail region behind the thorax. In Spatulina, its spatula-like outline is one of the key features used in identification.
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