Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 9, 2026

Cryptolithus

Cryptolithus is a genus of extinct epifaunal, suspension-feeding, trinucleid trilobites that lived during the Ordovician period. They were mostly blind. They are found in the United States, Canada, Venezuela, the United Kingdom, France, the Czech Republic, Morocco and Turkey.

Last revised
Jun 9, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
190 w
Citations
5
Source
Cryptolithus
Temporal range:
Cryptolithus fossil, National Museum of Natural History
Reconstruction of the ventral side of Cryptolithus tessellatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Artiopoda
Class: Trilobita
Order: Asaphida
Family: Trinucleidae
Genus: Cryptolithus
Green, 18321

Cryptolithus is a genus of extinct epifaunal, suspension-feeding, trinucleid trilobites that lived during the Ordovician period.2 They were mostly blind.3 They are found in the United States, Canada, Venezuela, the United Kingdom, France, the Czech Republic, Morocco and Turkey.4

Species

Valid species of Cryptolithus include:5

  • Cryptolithus bellulus (Ulrich, 1879)
  • Cryptolithus carimatus
  • Cryptolithus fittsi (Ulrich & Whittington)
  • Cryptolithus goldfussi (Barrande)
  • Cryptolithus inopinatus (Whittard)
  • Cryptolithus intertetus (Whittard)
  • Cryptolithus lorerainensis (Ruedemann)
  • Cryptolithus lorettensis (Foerste, 1924)
  • Cryptolithus ornatus (Sternberg)
  • Cryptolithus portlockii
    • Cryptolithus portlockii girvanensis
  • Cryptolithus quadrillatus
  • Cryptolithus recurvus (Ulrich, 1919)
  • Cryptolithus tessellatus (Green, 1832)
  • Cryptolithus ultimus (Barrande)
References

References

  1. Green, Jacob (1832). "A Monograph of the Trilobites of North America: With Coloured Models of the Species". 1. Joseph Brano: 72–78. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.66801. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. "Cryptolithus". Encyclopædia Britannica. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  3. Stigall, A.L. (12 November 2013). "Cryptolithus". Atlas of Ordovician Life.
  4. "†Cryptolithus Green 1832 (trilobite)". fossilworks. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  5. Museum of Comparative Zoology