Calymene niagarensis is a species of trilobite that is found in New York and Oklahoma.
Trilobites are a successful group of extinct marine arthropods that lived between 520 to 250 million years ago. They are related to crabs, horseshoe crabs, insects and crayfish. The name "trilobite" comes from the three distinct lobes that run vertically along the body section. There are over 25,000 known species.
This Silurian-aged trilobite that fed off the bottom of shallow seas. It was relatively small, only reaching lengths of about 1 inch.
Calymene has a triangular shape with around 20 body segments and a thick exoskeleton. The cephalon (or head) is semi-circular with round eyes. It is often found rolled up within shale.
Type: Trilobite
Species: Calymene niagarensis
Age: Middle Silurian (410 million years old)
Formation: Rochester Shale
Locality: Middleport, New York
Size of plate: 4.25 x 4.63 x .56 inches
Size of specimen: 1.5 x .81 x .13 inches
Weight: 8.70 oz.