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
reynesii
.
Satyrites reynesii
Scudder, 1872
Nymphalidae
:
Satyrinae
.
France, Bouches-du-Rhône, Aix-en-Provence; late Oligocene–early Miocene.
Depository: MVMF (holotype).
Published figures:
Leestmans (1983: Figs 9–10)
; Scudder (1875: Pl. I
Figs 2
,
5
).
The original description (
Scudder 1872
) is repeated by Scudder (1875), who erected a new genus for the fossil:
Lethites
.
Kozlov (1988)
accepted Scudder’s genus switch. The poorly preserved specimen bears only the forewings, which yield some usable characters. Subcosta basally strongly swollen; radial formula 1, 2, 3+(4+5), cell closed. A swollen subcosta is typical, but not universal, for
Satyrinae (Nymphalidae)
, but this character occurs in some genera of the
Biblidinae
as well (
Biblis
,
Ergolis
,
Eurytela
,
Hypanis
,
Vila
). In
Nymphalinae
with swollen Sc, the cell is usually open or at least, the ldc is weak. In the fossil ldc seems to be fairly strong. Thus, it is plausible to consider the fossil a member of the
Satyrinae
. According to Scudder it is similar to the recent genera
Lethe
and
Cercyonis
, but it is not clear why it should be more similar to these genera than to any other satyrine genus. The similarity is not an indication of relationship, since
Lethe
and
Cercyonis
are only remotely related (
Wahlberg
et al
. 2009
). Moreover, in
Lethe
there are no basally swollen veins in the forewing (
Ackery
et al
. 1999
).
Neorinopsis,
Pseudoneorina
,
Neorinella
and
Satyrites
have been classified, without comment, as fossil genera belonging to the subtribe
Lethina
of the tribe
Satyrini
by
Wahlberg & Peña (2015)
, but these choices are not supported by apomorphies. For further details, see the discussion under
Neorinella garciae
and
Neorinopsis
sepulta
.