Ceratocephaus goniata

After examining the Ceratocephalus goniata cephalon I found a couple weeks ago more closely, I realized there was more hiding in the matrix. I was pleasantly surprised to find additional thoracic segments still attached to this rare specimen.


After a couple hours of careful scribing, it appeared only three segments were preserved, however it had me scratching my head as I had previously thought the front of the cephalon was the back! According to two of my old reference books, Shrimer & Shrock 1943 and  Armstrong & Armstrong 1962 , both books have the cephalon inverted, causing me to think likewise. 


Here is the end result.








For a more clear reference, the only other comparison I could find on the Internet was a specimen from Morocco. Here, you can clearly see where the eyes are located and the cephalon in the correct orientation. A strange and incredible creature I am very happy to add to my collection.

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