The tiny creatures in question were lacewing larvae. Although adult lacewings have complex compound eyes, it was mostly known that these juvenile insects used simple eyes known as stemmata.

Lacewing larvae (also known as 'junk bugs') have been collecting trash for at least 110 million years, making them some of nature's oldest collectors. Thousands of species of lacewings can be found ...

At least three instances of this have been found in modern insect larvae: in antlions, tiger beetles, and water tigers. "Lacewings and their larvae exhibited astonishing diversity during the ...