Nymphalites scudderi

Jong, Rienk De, 2017, Fossil butterflies, calibration points and the molecular clock (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea), Zootaxa 4270 (1), pp. 1-63 : 38

scudderi . Nymphalites scudderi Beutenmüller & Cockerell, 1908

Incertae sedis.

USA, Colorado , Teller County, Florissant; late Priabonian, late Eocene.

Depositories: AMNH (holotype), UCNH (counterpart?).

Published figures: Cockerell (1908: Pl. V Fig. 6); Emmel et al. (1992: Fig. 1 /9).

The specimen is a large insect, with a forewing length of 39 mm. Venation not visible. According to the original description in Cockerell (1908), the pattern is uniformly dark with abroad, unsharp, pale, submarginal band and is reminiscent of Basilarchia (now Limenitis ). Since this is the only reason for considering the specimen a member of the Nymphalidae , the position of the fossil is highly uncertain. The size of the forewing, if compared to modern taxa, suggests that the fossil either belonged to Nymphalidae or Papilionidae , but we do not know what these butterflies looked like, say, 30 million years ago. Emmel et al. (1992) placed the fossil in Nymphalinae , apparently only because of the superficial resemblance to Limenitis weidemeyerii Edwards in wing markings, although they remarked that the shape of the forewing is different.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Localities of fossil butterflies plotted ion a modern map. See Table 1 for further, complementary information.