A quick post to present a rare species of Psychopyge sp. from Issoumoure. This psychopyge type has a short rostrum and smaller "spines" (shaped more like tubercules), than Psychopyge elegans. Preparation: A.Ž.
Photo bellow shows the bug before preparation; it's buried on the bottom of a large block of matrix. To get an idea what it sometimes takes to prep a nice bug, they are not found prepped... About 10 cm of excess dense (hard as a rock) matrix had to be removed with part of pygidium&thorax in the negative matrix part, and with cephalon and rostrum and spines in the counter-flexed position under the overlaying rock:
Parts of the trilobite in the negative need to be transfered on the positive, before excess matrix removal could begin to get down to the fossil:
Cutting the matrix turned out to be hell, matrix is too dense, and the position of the break not particulary good, so the only way left was to scribe ...and glue:
...but the preservation and details are worth it.
It takes a lot more work to prep these as it seems from photos, about similar time as to prep an Erbenochille in a nicer matrix with all the tiny spines on the thorax, although Psychopyge seems a more "simple bug".
After most of the excess matrix has been removed.
All spines are granulated and the tiny thoracic "spines" have an interesting shape (not visible in the photos, sorry no microscope pics), not typical for spines on other species.
After about 30+ hours, the few missing tips on pygidium spines were restored and the bug finished.
Wet on photo above...
No coating, no paint, just glued parts, cracks filled with glue and small resto on tips of pygidium spines:
Fin!
Thanks for sharing our passion!
