Archaeolepis

Archaeolepis mane
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Archaeolepidae
Genus: Archaeolepis
Whalley, 1985
Species: A. mane
Binomial name
Archaeolepis mane
Whalley, 1985

Archaeolepis mane is the earliest known Lepidopteran fossil. It dates from the Lower Jurassic (ca 190 million years ago) and according to Grimaldi & Engel (2005)[1] a recent re-examination of the specimen has given additional support to its ordinal placement. The fossil consists of a pair of wings with scales that are characteristically similar to the wing venation pattern found in Trichoptera (caddisflies).

The fossil was found in Dorset in the United Kingdom.

References

  1. Grimaldi, D. & Engel, M. S. (2005). Cambridge University Press, ed. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge, etc. ISBN 978-0-521-82149-0.

External links

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