Biology:Rhyniella
| Rhyniella | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subclass: | Collembola |
| Genus: | †Rhyniella |
| Species: | †R. praecursor
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Rhyniella praecursor | |
Rhyniella is a genus of fossil springtails (Collembola) from the Rhynie chert, which formed during the Pragian stage of the Early Devonian. One species has been described, Rhyniella praecursor. For some time it was believed to be the only hexapod from the Early Devonian (c. 410 million years ago)[1]
History
Its remains were discovered in 1919. Reconstructed from the scattered bits and pieces of its exoskeleton, R. praecursor was described in 1926, and at first believed to be a larval insect.[2] This study also described euthycarcinoid Heterocrania, and supposed larval insect mouthparts, later redescribed as Rhyniognatha hirsti in 1928[1] and considered as an insect[3] or myriapod.[4]
Description
Rhyniella grew to a length of about 1–2 mm and would have been a scavenger, feeding on rotting matter.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 R. J. Tillyard. 1928. Some remarks on the Devonian fossil insects from the Rhynie chert beds, Old Red Sandstone. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 76:65-71
- ↑ Hirst, Stanley; Maulik, S. (1926). "On some Arthropod Remains from the Rhynie Chert (Old Red Sandstone)". Geological Magazine 63 (2): 69–71. doi:10.1017/S0016756800083692. Bibcode: 1926GeoM...63...69H.
- ↑ Engel, M. S.; Grimaldi, D. A. (2004). "New light shed on the oldest insect". Nature 427 (6975): 627–630. doi:10.1038/nature02291. PMID 14961119. Bibcode: 2004Natur.427..627E.
- ↑ Haug, Carolin; Haug, Joachim T. (2017-05-30). "The presumed oldest flying insect: more likely a myriapod?". PeerJ 5: e3402. doi:10.7717/peerj.3402. ISSN 2167-8359. PMID 28584727.
- ↑ Parker, Steve. Dinosaurus: the complete guide to dinosaurs. Firefly Books Inc, 2003. Pg. 74
Wikidata ☰ Q719845 entry
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