Prehistoric Lepidoptera

1887 engraving of Prodryas persephone, a fossil Lepidopteran from the Eocene

Prehistoric Lepidoptera are both butterflies and moths that lived before recorded history. The fossil record for Lepidoptera is lacking in comparison to other winged species, and tending not to be as common as some other insects in the habitats that are most conducive to fossilization, such as lakes and ponds, and their juvenile stage has only the head capsule as a hard part that might be preserved. The location and abundance of the most common moth species are indicative that mass migrations of moths occurred over the Palaeogene North Sea, which is why there is a serious lack of moth fossils.[1] Yet there are fossils, some preserved in amber and some in very fine sediments. Leaf mines are also seen in fossil leaves, although the interpretation of them is tricky.[2]

Putative fossil stem group representatives of Amphiesmenoptera (the clade comprising Trichoptera and Lepidoptera) are known from the Triassic.[3]:567 The earliest known fossil lepidopteran are three wings of Archaeolepis mane from the Jurassic, about 190 million years ago, found in Dorset, UK.[4][5] The fossil belongs to a small primitive moth-like species, and its wings are showing scales with parallel grooves under a scanning electron microscope and a characteristic wing venation pattern shared with Trichoptera (Caddisflies).[2] Only two more sets of Jurassic lepidopteran fossils have been found, as well as 13 sets from the Cretaceous, which all belong to primitive moth-like families.[2] Many more fossils are found from the Cenozoic, and particularly the Eocene Baltic amber. The oldest genuine butterflies of the superfamily Papilionoidea have been found in the Paleocene MoClay or Fur Formation of Denmark. The best preserved fossil lepidopteran is considered to be the Eocene Prodryas persephone from the Florissant Fossil Beds.[6][7]

Phylogeny

Further information: Butterfly evolution and Taxonomy of the Lepidoptera
Phylogenetic hypothesis of major lepidopteran lineages superimposed on the geologic time scale. Angiosperm radiation spans 130–95 mya from the earliest angiosperms, to angiosperm domination of vegetation.

Lepidoptera and Trichoptera (caddisflies) are more closely related than any other taxa, sharing many similarities that are lacking in other insect orders; for example the females of both orders are heterogametic, meaning they have two different sex chromosomes, whereas in most species the males are heterogametic and the females have two identical sex chromosomes. The adults in both orders display a particular wing venation pattern on their forewings. The larvae of both orders have mouth structures and gland with which they make and manipulate silk. Willi Hennig grouped the two sister orders into the Amphiesmenoptera superorder. This group probably evolved in the Jurassic, having split from the now extinct order Necrotaulidae.[2]

Micropterigidae, Agathiphagidae and Heterobathmiidae are the oldest and most basal lineages of Lepidoptera. The adults of these families do not have the curled tongue or proboscis, that are found in most members order, but instead have chewing mandibles adapted for a special diet. Micropterigidae larvae feed on leaves, fungi, or liverworts (much like the Trichoptera).[8] Adult Micropterigidae chew the pollen or spores of ferns. In the Agathiphagidae, larvae live inside kauri pines and feed on seeds. In Heterobathmiidae the larvae feed on the leaves of Nothofagus, the southern beech tree. These families also have mandibles in the pupal stage, which help the pupa emerge from the seed or cocoon after metamorphosis.[8]

The Eriocraniidae have a short coiled proboscis in the adult stage, and though they retain their pupal mandibles with which they escaped the cocoon, their mandibles are non-functional thereafter.[8] Most of these non-ditrysian families, are primarily leaf miners in the larval stage. In addition to the proboscis, there is a change in the scales among these basal lineages, with later lineages showing more complex perforated scales.[2]

With the evolution of the Ditrysia in the mid-Cretaceous, there was a major reproductive change. The Ditrysia, which comprise 98% of the Lepidoptera, have two separate openings for reproduction in the females (as well as a third opening for excretion), one for mating, and one for laying eggs. The two are linked internally by a seminal duct. (In more basal lineages there is one cloaca, or later, two openings and an external sperm canal.) Of the early lineages of Ditrysia, Gracillarioidea and Gelechioidea are mostly leaf miners, but more recent lineages feed externally. In the Tineoidea, most species feed on plant and animal detritus and fungi, and build shelters in the larval stage.[2]

The Yponomeutoidea is the first group to have significant numbers of species whose larvae feed on herbaceous plants, as opposed to woody plants.[2] They evolved about the time that flowering plants underwent an expansive adaptive radiation in the mid-Cretaceous, and the Gelechioidea that evolved at this time also have great diversity. Whether the processes involved co-evolution or sequential evolution, the diversity of the Lepidoptera and the angiosperms increased together.

In the so-called "Macrolepidoptera", which constitutes about 60% of lepidopteran species, there was a general increase in size, better flying ability (via changes in wing shape and linkage of the forewings and hindwings), reduction in the adult mandibles, and a change in the arrangement of the crochets (hooks) on the larval prolegs, perhaps to improve the grip on the host plant.[2] Many also have tympanal organs, that allow them to hear. These organs evolved eight times, at least, because they occur on different body parts and have structural differences.[2] The main lineages in the Macrolepidoptera are the Noctuoidea, Bombycoidea, Lasiocampidae, Mimallonoidea, Geometroidea and Rhopalocera. Bombycoidea plus Lasiocampidae plus Mimallonoidea may be a monophyletic group.[2] The Rhopalocera, comprising the Papilionoidea (butterflies), Hesperioidea (skippers), and the Hedyloidea (moth-butterflies), are the most recently evolved.[8] There is quite a good fossil record for this group, with the oldest skipper dating from 56 million years ago.[2]

Fossil Lepidoptera

This is a list of all recorded fossil Lepidoptera species.[9][10][11][12][13][14]

Taxa marked with † are extinct

Superfamily unassigned

Butterflies

Superfamily Hesperioidea

Family Hesperiidae

Superfamily Papilionoidea

Basal or Incertae sedis

Family Lycaenidae

Family Nymphalidae

Family Papilionidae

1898 illustration of Doritites bosniackii
1898 illustration of Doritites bosniackii

Family Pieridae

Family Riodinidae

Moths

Superfamily Bombycoidea

Family Saturniidae

Family Sphingidae

Superfamily Copromorphoidea

Family Copromorphidae

Superfamily Cossoidea

Family Cossidae

Superfamily †Eolepidopterigoidea

Family †Eolepidopterigidae

Family Eriocraniidae

Superfamily Gelechioidea

Family Autostichidae

Family Elachistidae

Family Ethmiidae

Family Oecophoridae

Family Symmocidae

Superfamily Geometroidea

Family Geometridae

Hydriomena? protrita holotype fore-wing

Superfamily Gracillarioidea

Family Bucculatricidae

Family Gracillariidae

Superfamily Hepialoidea

Family Hepialidae

Superfamily Incurvarioidea

Family Adelidae

Family Incurvariidae

Superfamily Micropterigoidea

Family Micropterigidae

Superfamily Nepticuloidea

Family Nepticulidae

Superfamily Noctuoidea

Family Arctiidae

Family Lymantriidae

Family Noctuidae

Family Notodontidae

Superfamily Pterophoroidea

Family Pterophoridae

Superfamily Pyraloidea

Family Pyralidae

Superfamily Sesioidea

Family Castniidae

Superfamily Tineoidea

Family Psychidae

Family Tineidae

Superfamily Tortricoidea

Family Tortricidae

Superfamily Yponomeutoidea

Family Heliodinidae

Family Lyonetiidae

Family Yponomeutidae

Superfamily Zygaenoidea

Family Zygaenidae

Superfamily unassigned

Family †Archaeolepidae

Family †Curvicubitidae

Family †Mesokristenseniidae

Excluded from Lepidoptera

Several fossils originally described as lepidopterans have subsequently been assigned to other groups, some as basal Amphiesmenoptera, others into other entirely distinct insect orders.[15]

Superorder Amphiesmenoptera

Family †Eocoronidae

Order Hemiptera

Family †Palaeontinidae (?)

Order Mecoptera (?)

Family †Permochoristidae

Family †Choristopsychidae

From the late middle Jurassic (164-165 Mya) from the Daohugou fossil-beds of Inner Mongolia.[16]

See also

References

  1. Rust, Jest (2000). "Palaeontology: Fossil record of mass moth migration". Nature 405 (6786): 530–531. doi:10.1038/35014733. PMID 10850702. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 Grimaldi, D. and Engel, M. S. (2005). Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-82149-5.
  3. Powell, Jerry A. (2009). "Lepidoptera". In Resh, Vincent H.; Cardé, Ring T. Encyclopedia of Insects (2 (illustrated) ed.). Academic Press. pp. 557–587. ISBN 978-0-12-374144-8. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  4. Grimaldi, David A.; Michael S. Engel (2005). Evolution of the insects. Cambridge University Press. p. 561. ISBN 978-0-521-82149-0. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  5. Davies, Hazel; Butler, Carol A. (June 2008). Do butterflies bite?: fascinating answers to questions about butterflies and moths. Rutgers University Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-8135-4268-3. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  6. Meyer, Herbert William; Smith, Dena M. (2008). Paleontology of the Upper Eocene florissant formation, Colorado. Geological Society of America. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-8137-2435-5. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  7. Unacknowledged. "Lepidoptera – latest classification". Discoveries in Natural History & Exploration. University of California. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Scoble, Malcolm J. (September 1995). "2". The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity (1 ed.). Oxford University: Oxford University Press. pp. 4–5. ISBN 0-19-854952-0.
  9. Fidel Fernández-Rubio (1999). "Las mariposas fósiles. Razones de su escasez y su influencia sobre el conocimiento de la filogenia y distribución de Zygaenini (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae)" [Fossil butterflies. Causes of their rarity and how they influence our knowledge of phylogeny and distribution of Zygaenini (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae)]. Boln. S.E.A. 26: 521–532.
  10. Niels P. Kristensen. Handbuch der Zoologie: eine Naturgeschichte der Stämme des Tierreiches. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 19–. ISBN 978-3-11-015704-8. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  11. leptree. Webcache.googleusercontent.com (2011-05-18). Retrieved on 2011-07-25.
  12. Thomas Sobczyk and Max J. Kobbert (2009). "Die Psychidae des baltischen Bernsteins". Nota lepidopterologica 32 (1): 13–22.
  13. Lepidoptera Genera. Nhm.ac.uk. Retrieved on 2011-07-25.
  14. LepIndex. Nhm.ac.uk. Retrieved on 2011-07-25.
  15. Sohn, Jae-Cheon; Conrad Labandeira, Donald Davis & Charles Mitter (2012). "An annotated catalog of fossil and subfossil Lepidoptera (Insecta : Holometabola) of the world". Zootaxa (Auckland, N.Z.: Magnolia Press): 1–132. ISBN 978-1-86977-888-0.
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 Qiao X, Shih CK, Petrulevičius JF, Ren Dong R (2013). "Fossils from the Middle Jurassic of China shed light on morphology of Choristopsychidae (Insecta, Mecoptera)". ZooKeys 318: 91–111. doi:10.3897/zookeys.318.5226. Retrieved 29 July 2013.

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