Fossil butterflies, calibration points and the molecular clock (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea)
Author
Jong, Rienk De
text
Zootaxa
2017
4270
1
1
63
journal article
32975
10.5281/zenodo.583183
6c479acc-8b18-4f0b-a6e5-85bcd6d7b6b7
1175-5326
583183
2D00AFF5-4FE2-4EC1-A328-C8670CFB8D6D
garciae
.
Neorinella garciae
Martins-Neto, Kucera-Santos, de Moraes Vieira & de Campos Fragoso, 1993
Nymphalidae
:
Satyrinae
,
Elymniini
.
Brazil
, State of
São Paulo
, Taubaté Basin, Tremembé Formation; Chattian–Aquitanian, late Oligocene—early Miocene.
Depository: DGUG (holotype).
Published figures: Martins-Neto
et al
. (1993:
Figs 2
,
3
, pls I, II);
Murata (1998: Figs 9–11)
.
Partly visible forewings and hindwings and compressed body. In addition to wing shape and venation (partly visible) a paler colored band across forewings and hindwings is visible; there is an eyespot in the cell of the forewing, in R4-R5 (visible in the photo, not represented in the drawing), and in CuA1-CuA2 (?) of the forewing and, vaguely, in Cu1-Cu2 of the hindwing. The length of the forewing is
31.7 mm
.
No
visible swollen bases of forewing veins. Most remarkable in the venation of the forewing is the common origin of M3 and Cu1 from the lower distal corner of the cell. Among extant Papilionoidea it is a unique autapomorphy of the satyrine genus
Elymnias
(
Miller 1968
)
. For the rest, the reconstruction of the wings (
Fig.
2
in the original publication, reproduced here as Fig. 9) is hypothetical for those parts of the wings that are absent in the fossil. Moreover, in the forewing the radial branching cannot have been correctly reproduced: in
Fig. 2
of the original description two radial veins branch off before the end of the cell, at which point R2 originates. One of these veins coalesces over some distance with R2 before ending on the front margin. This part of the wing is absent in the fossil.
The fossil, which has been placed in a genus of its own, is supposed (in the original publication) to be related to the extant genus
Neorina
(
Nymphalidae
,
Satyrinae
) as well as to the fossil genera
Neorinopis
(see under
sepulta
) and
Pseudoneorina
(see under
coulleti
). Apparently, this is based on similarity in wing shape and wing pattern. Realizing the variation in these characters for extant
Neorina
species as well as in related genera, these characters are unreliable indicators of relationship. A structural character like venation appears more reliable. In combination with
Neorinopsis
and
Pseudoneorina
,
Neorinella
has been classified, without comment, as belonging to the subtribe
Lethina
of the tribe
Satyrini
, while
Neorina
has been placed in the tribe
Zetherini
by
Wahlberg & Peña (2015)
. This, again, must be based on wing shape and design. If we take venation as indicator of relationship, both
Neorinella
and
Neorinopsis
should be classified as
Elymniini
. See further the discussion under
Neorinopsis
sepulta
.