Rhyniella

Rhyniella is a genus of fossil springtails 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

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. This study also described euthycarcinoid Heterocrania, and supposed larval insect mouthparts, later redescribed as Rhyniognatha hirsti in 1928 and considered as an insect or myriapod.

Description

Rhyniella grew to a length of about 1–2 mm and would have been a scavenger, feeding on rotting matter.