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
Classification
Living or Extinct Taxonomic Rank Sources
1. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ20672205, descriptionView the Source 2. Wikipedia: Rhyniognatha
- Taxonomic rank (Wikipedia confirms the entity; rank from slug/structure-wave classification)
In Group: Devonian Problematic Fossil Genera, Lead
Rhyniognatha is an extinct genus of arthropod of disputed placement. It has been considered in some analyses as the oldest insect known, as well as possibly being a flying insect. Rhyniognatha is known from a partial head with preserved mouthparts from the Early Devonian aged Rhynie chert around 400 million years ago, when Earth’s first terrestrial ecosystems were being formed.
View the SourceWikidata: Rhyniognatha
Wikidata Q20672205, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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