About Coltraneia

Named for famous Jazz musician John Coltrane, Coltraneia is a remarkable genus of Phacopid trilobites from the Devonian period--about 390 million years ago--with fossils best known from Morocco’s Anti-Atlas region. Belonging to the family Asteropyginae, these trilobites are instantly recognizable for their extraordinary eyes — towering schizochroal lenses that rise well above the cephalon. Each compound eye is made up of hundreds of enlarged, crystal-clear facets, providing an expansive field of vision. This adaptation likely gave Coltraneia a major advantage in detecting movement in the dynamic seafloor ecosystems of the Devonian seas.

In addition to its impressive vision, Coltraneia also developed a series of long, blade-like pleural spines projecting from the thoracic segments. These spines gave the trilobite a spiky, armored profile and may have served to deter predators or distribute its weight more evenly across soft seafloor sediment. The combination of defensive ornamentation and highly specialized eyes makes Coltraneia one of the most unusual and visually striking trilobites of its age.

Today, Coltraneia fossils stand out as showpieces in any collection. Their oversized eyes and distinctive thoracic spines capture a peak in trilobite specialization during the Devonian, before the group’s decline later in the Paleozoic. Moroccan specimens, often exquisitely prepared from limestone, preserve these features in stunning relief and remain some of the most collectible trilobites in the world.