Schmidtiellus
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| Schmidtiellus Temporal range: Late Atdabanian[1] | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | †Artiopoda |
| Class: | †Trilobita |
| Order: | †Redlichiida |
| Family: | †Holmiidae |
| Genus: | †Schmidtiellus Moberg, 1906 |
| Species | |
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Schmidtiellus is an extinct genus of holmiid trilobites from the Cambrian of Poland.[2][3] 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.[4] There are no lens structures on the top of the eye, so their vision only extends about 25-30 degrees above them.[4]
