Yale paleontologist, YIBS faculty affiliate, and former YIBS Director Derek Briggs, who has long explored the origins and evolution of arthropods, has helped identify a new species of fossil arthropod with historical significance. Named Lomankus edgecombei, the species was discovered in central New York and is preserved in pyrite, or fool’s gold, which has helped protect its intricate details for over 450 million years.

The research, co-authored by Briggs and recently published in Current Biology, highlights how Lomankus—a close relative of horseshoe crabs and scorpions—used specialized, flexible appendages to detect food in ancient marine sediments. The remarkable preservation, a hallmark of the fossil-rich “Beecher’s Bed” site, has allowed scientists to view Lomankus in exceptional 3D detail, thanks to CT scanning techniques that reveal its unique adaptations and sensory tools. Briggs and his team’s findings reveal that Lomankus belongs to an extinct arthropod group called Megacheira, which may have survived longer than previously believed, spanning from the Cambrian to the Ordovician period. For additional details, click here to read the full article on Yale News.