| Schmidtiellus Temporal range: Late Atdabanian [1] | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| 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]
