Family Odontopleuridae

Subfamilies: Odontopleurinae, Koneprusiinae

Genera: Kettneraspis, Koneprusia, Radiaspis
[= Charybdaspis, Xanionurus].

Odontopleuridae are rare trilobites and possibly entirely restricted to strata of Eifelian age. Radiaspis is known to be represented in Belgium by Radiaspis cf. comes. In the Eifel another species, Radiaspis radiata, is known which has been reported in Belgium as well (yet never corroborated in recent studies). Differences are found in the thoracic and pygidial morphology but the easiest way to distinguish between these two species might be the number of pygidial marginal spines: 14 for R. comes; 16 for R. radiata. According to its current concept Radiaspis is widely stratigraphically and geographically distributed. The genus is in great need of revision.
 

Koneprusia is an exceedingly spiny trilobite that is principally known from the Rhenish Mountains, Bohemia, Morocco and the Canadian Arctic. It was only recently discovered in the middle Eifelian of the Belgian Ardennes and in the lower Eifelian of the French Ardennes. Since preservation of hitherto documented specimens from the Ardennes is not spectacular, images of Koneprusia from the Moroccan Devonian provide a nice view of what they might have looked like if taphonomic conditions had not been so unfavourable.

Like Koneprusia, Kettneraspis is rare. One species has been recorded from the middle Eifelian of the Belgian Ardennes while another, undescribed species occurs in the lower Eifelian of northern France (Vireux-Molhain). It is possible that Kettneraspis has a longer stratigraphic range in the Ardennes (perhaps even until the mid-Givetian). A recently published paper by Feist & McNamara (2007) demonstrated the possibility of finding Leonaspis here so stratigraphically high (Eifel). Contrary to some of the older literature sources, the presence of Leonaspis in the Ardennes (frequently confused with Acidaspis here) remains unconfirmed. However, Leonaspis was recently recorded from the Upper Emsian (Wiltz Formation) in Luxembourg.

List of species

Eifelian

- Koneprusia maillieuxi MAGREAN, 2006

- Koneprusia sp. A (sensu VAN VIERSEN, 2008)

- Kettneraspis bayarti VAN VIERSEN, 2007

- Kettneraspis cf. bayarti VAN VIERSEN, 2007

- Radiaspis cf. comes (BASSE, 1998)

- Radiaspis sp.

Homalonotidae  Acastidae  Phacopidae  Scutelluidae  Lichidae  Odontopleuridae  Aulacopleuridae  Proetidae

Reconstruction of Radiaspis sp. by S.M. Gon III, figured by van Viersen (2007).