During excavation work on Prague’s Metro Line D, a routine pile of extracted rock has led to a scientific discovery that is reshaping understanding of early marine life.

A fossil collected at the site has been identified as a previously unknown species of arthropod dating back roughly 448 million years.

The specimen was found by fossil collector Radek Labuťa among debris removed from the construction site. Though small—measuring just about two centimeters—it has proven to be of major scientific value.

Researchers later confirmed it represents a new species closely related to trilobites, organisms that once dominated ancient seas.

The species has been named Soomaspis labutai, in recognition of its discoverer. Unlike trilobites, however, this creature lacked a hard shell. Instead, it had a softer body covering marked by small pits, along with a distinct oval-shaped tail. Its appearance has been described as resembling a hybrid between a spider and a trilobite.

According to Lukáš Laibl of the Geological Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the find offers new insight into a critical period in Earth’s history. The organism lived shortly before a major glaciation event at the end of the Ordovician period, which triggered one of the first mass extinctions on the planet.

What makes the discovery particularly notable is its connection to a similar species found thousands of kilometers away. The closest known relative, Soomaspis splendida, was identified in South Africa in the 1990s. That species dates to about 443 million years ago, placing it just after the period of glaciation.

Until now, Soomaspis splendida was considered an isolated occurrence, possibly limited to a specific region. The Prague discovery challenges that view. Researchers now believe that members of the Soomaspis genus were more widespread, inhabiting large parts of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana.

The fossil has since been donated to the National Museum in Prague, where it will become part of the permanent exhibition.

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