In 1862 while examining coastal exposures by boat around the rocky St David's peninsula, the well-known palaeontologist J W Salter landed in a small inlet called Porth-y-rhaw, in the mistaken belief that it was Solva Harbour, only a short distance to the east.
His mistake turned out to be extremely lucky, because in the rocks of Porth-y-rhaw, he discovered the remains of one of the largest trilobites ever found (over 50 cm long).
The formal scientific name is named after David Homfray, an amateur fossil collector from Porth-madog. This trilobite is now one of the best-known from Britain. If there were to be a 'national fossil' for Wales, Paradoxides davidis would be the prime contender.
