Phacops

Phacops
Temporal range: Late Ordovician-Late Devonian
~457–360 Ma
Phacops sp. from the Eifelian of Morocco
Phacops sp. eye
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: †Trilobita
Order: †Phacopida
Family: †Phacopidae
Genus: †Phacops
Emmrich, 1839
Type species
Calymene latifrons
Bronn, 1825
Species

and see text

Synonyms
  • Portlockia
  • Somatrikelon
  • Somatrikopon

Phacops is a genus of trilobites in the order Phacopida, family Phacopidae, that lived in Europe, northwestern Africa, North and South America and China from the Late Ordovician until the very end of the Devonian,[2] with a broader time range described from the Late Ordovician.[3] It was a rounded animal, with a globose head and large eyes, and probably fed on detritus.[4] Phacops is often found rolled up ("volvation"), a biological defense mechanism that is widespread among smaller trilobites but further perfected in this genus.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Treatise was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Ivo Chlupáč (1973). "The distribution of phacopid trilobites in space and time" (PDF). Fossils and Strata. 4: 399–408.
  3. ^ Phacops at Fossilworks.org
  4. ^ a b David L. Bruton & Winfried Haas (2001). Philip D. Lane, Derek J. Siveter & Richard A. Fortey (ed.). Trilobites and their Relatives: Contributions from the Third International Conference, Making Phacops come alive. Special Papers in Palaeontology. Vol. 70. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 331–348. ISBN 978-0-901702-81-4.