450-Million-Year-Old Arthropod Fossil Found Preserved in Fool's Gold

The discovery of Lomankus edgecombei offers new insights into the evolution of arthropod appendages.

The fossilized remains of Lomankus edgecombei, a newly identified species of arthropod, were discovered in New York's Beecher's Trilobite Bed.
Preserved in iron pyrite, or fool's gold, the fossils exhibit exceptional three-dimensional detail, revealing the creature's anatomy.
Lomankus edgecombei is part of the extinct megacheiran group, known for their large, modified limbs used for capturing prey.
Unlike its Cambrian relatives, Lomankus lacked eyes and likely used its appendages for sensing its environment in low-oxygen conditions.
This finding challenges previous beliefs about the extinction timeline of megacheirans, suggesting they evolved beyond the Cambrian Period.