Order: PHACOPIDA Salter, 1864
Suborder: PHACOPINA Struve, 1959
Superfamily: PHACOPACEA Hawle & Corda, 1847
Family: PHACOPIDAE Hawle & Corda, 1847
Subfamily: PHACOPINAE Hawle & Corda, 1847
Genus DROTOPS Struve, 1990
Diagnosis
Drotops are very large trilobites that can be up to 17 cm. The sculpture of the glabella consists of cone to bubble shaped elements. The eyes are large. They have 18 rows of maximum 6 (±1). The lens cup is covered with nodes. The cheep field in front of the eyee is steeply forward inclined to almost vertical.
Occurence
Drotops is found in the middle to upper Eifelian of the Mader Basin, in Morocco
Recognizing Drotops species
Struve described 2 species of Drotops in Morocco, Drotops megalomanicus and Drotops armatus. D. megalomanicus is covered with nodes while D. armatus has spines. Struve described several subspecies.
Drotops megalomanicus megalomanicus
Struve 1990 (Eifelian)
Cephalon is broadly parabolic to semi-ellipsoidal in shape. Forehead bow is wide rounded. Pygidium with comparatively high ribs and deep recessed furrows. Body with coarse to very coarse comparatively densely arranged sculpture.
Drotops megalomanicus subornatus
Struve 1995 (Eifelian)
Cephalon is highly parabolic. Forehead bow is tight rounded. Pygidium with comparatively wide-arched ribs and narrow notches of form-like oblique furrows. Body in particular the pygidium with fine scattered sculpture.
Drotops armatus forma accurata
Struve 1995 (Eifelian)
Drotops armatus forma perspinosa
Struve 1995 (Eifelian)
Drotops armatus forma armata
Struve 1995 (Eifelian)
Drotops armatus forma hoplites
Struve 1995 (Eifelian)
References
Struve, W. 1995. Die Riesen-Phacopiden aus dem Maïder, SE morokkanische Prä-Sahara. Senckenbergiana Lethaea 75: 77–129.