Schmidtiellus

Schmidtiellus; Temporal range: Late Atdabanian
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	†Artiopoda
Class:	†Trilobita
Order:	†Redlichiida
Family:	†Holmiidae
Genus:	†Schmidtiellus; Moberg, 1906
Species
	Schmidtiellus mickwitzi; Schmidtiellus reetae;

Schmidtiellus is an extinct genus of holmiid trilobites from the Cambrian of Poland. As of 2017, a Schmidtiellus reetae fossil from 530 mya, collected in Saviranna in northern Estonia, is the oldest known fossilized eye. The structure is similar to the compound eyes of modern-day dragonflies and bees, but with (~100) ommatidia with lenses spaced further apart. There are no lens structures on the top of the eye, so their vision only extends about 25-30 degrees above them.

References

↑ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Trilobita entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
↑ "†Schmidtiellus Moberg 1906 (trilobite)". The Paleobiology Database.
↑ Lieberman, Bruce (1999). "Systematic revision of the Olenelloidea (Trilobita, Cambrian)". Bulletin of the Yale University Peabody Museum of Natural History. 45: 1–150 – via Yale University EliScholar.
1 2 Schoenemann, Brigitte (December 4, 2017). "Structure and function of a compound eye, more than half a billion years old". Biological Sciences. 114 (51) – via PNAS.

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[Sepkoski-1] Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Trilobita entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Retrieved 1 December 2008.

[2] "†Schmidtiellus Moberg 1906 (trilobite)". The Paleobiology Database.

[3] Lieberman, Bruce (1999). "Systematic revision of the Olenelloidea (Trilobita, Cambrian)". Bulletin of the Yale University Peabody Museum of Natural History. 45: 1–150 – via Yale University EliScholar.

[:0-4] 1 2 Schoenemann, Brigitte (December 4, 2017). "Structure and function of a compound eye, more than half a billion years old". Biological Sciences. 114 (51) – via PNAS.