Its remains were discovered in 1919. Reconstructed from the scattered bits and pieces of its exoskeleton, R. praecursor was described in 1926, and at first believed to be a larval insect. Mouthparts initially assigned to R. praecursor were redescribed as Rhyniognatha hirsti in 1928. In 2004, Rhyniognatha hirsti was found to be an insect, the oldest known to date.[1] Rhyniella grew to a length of about 1-2 mm and would have been a scavenger, feeding on rotting matter.