The well-preserved and ancient fossil belongs to a new species of ostracod and is called Spiricopia aurita.
International research conducted by scientists from Oxford, London, Yale and Leicester has given the world a rare discovery after a very small and 430-million-year-old crustacean fossil was found in Herefordshire, UK which still has intact soft spots that are perfectly preserved.
The fossil that was discovered is extremely tiny at just a few millimeters in length and was shown to belong to a new species of ostracod that can claim both shrimps and crabs as close relatives. As report, the truly remarkable thing about this particular fossil is that not only is the hard shell of the crustacean preserved, but its gills, gut, eyes and limbs are also still completely intact.
It is exceptionally rare to find ostracods that still have their soft spots attached after 430 million years, and in the case of this particular crustacean it was discovered to still have its full respiratory system, including five pairs of gills with canals. This suggests that at this time 430 million years ago, hearts must have already evolved in such crustaceans.
This tiny and special crustacean fossil has been called Spiricopia aurita, which in Latin means ‘breath of life’, ‘abundance’ and ‘ears’. Professor David Siveter, who works at the University of Leicester’s School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, described how very rare it is to encounter such a fossil with soft spots still remaining after hundreds of millions of years.