Rhyniognatha is an extinct genus of arthropod whose taxonomic placement remains disputed. Some analyses have considered it the oldest known insect and possibly even a flying insect, while others have interpreted the fossil as a myriapod instead. The genus is known from a single partial head with preserved mouthparts recovered from the Early Devonian Rhynie chert, roughly 400 million years old. Its type and only species, Rhyniognatha hirsti, was named and described in 1928.
Facts
Taxonomic Rank Sources
1. Wikipedia: Rhyniognatha
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