Strudiella devonica was originally described as a Late Devonian insect, but a later primary re-investigation rejected that identification; its placement is retained as a contested arthropod interpretation.
claim:taxon:strudiella:taxonomyA complete insect from the Late Devonian period
Garrouste, R.; Clément, G.; Nel, P.; Engel, M.S.; Grandcolas, P.; D'Haese, C.; Lagebro, L.; Denayer, J.; Gueriau, P.; Lafaite, P.; Olive, S.; Prestianni, C.; Nel, A.
Year2012
Source roleprimary-study
DOI / ID10.1038/nature11281
Fitness and scope
taxonomy · range · morphology · ecology · biogeography
Primary description of the nearly complete Strudiella devonica specimen from Upper Devonian freshwater sediments at Strud, Belgium; the original study interpreted it as an insect.
Claim ledger
The profiled Strudiella specimen comes from Upper Devonian freshwater sediments at the Strud locality in Belgium; this records one deposit and not a complete geographic distribution.
claim:taxon:strudiella:biogeographyThe original reconstruction inferred a terrestrial, probably omnivorous arthropod from the Strud mandible interpretation, but neither feeding behaviour nor a population-wide ecological guild is directly observed.
claim:taxon:strudiella:ecologyThe nearly complete Strudiella specimen preserves a segmented body, antennae and legs; the proposed dicondylic mandibles and pterygote features are disputed after re-examination.
claim:taxon:strudiella:morphologyThe approximately 365 Ma display point is the Strud specimen's Late Devonian deposit age, not a global Strudiella range, insect FAD or arthropod lineage origin date.
claim:taxon:strudiella:fossil-rangeThe Strudiella case records a published insect diagnosis followed by a primary re-investigation that rejects the insect interpretation, making the specimen a useful example of contested Devonian arthropod evidence.
claim:event:strudiella-reassessment