New data on Miocene butterflies in Dominican amber (Lepidoptera, Riodinidae and Nymphalidae) with the description of a new nymphalid ; American Museum novitates, no. 3519
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Date
2006
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New York, NY : American Museum of Natural History
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Abstract
A new, virtually complete and well-preserved female specimen of Voltinia dramba Hall, Robbins, and Harvey, 2004 (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae) provides new data on this fossil species, and a new fossil species of the Recent genus of Nymphalidae Dynamine Hubner, 1819 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) is described as Dynamine alexae n.sp., on the basis of a male specimen. The two species are preserved in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic. Dynamine alexae n.sp. represents the first adult nymphalid butterfly found as a fossil in amber. The four taxa of butterflies found up to the present in Dominican amber indicate post-Miocene extinctions in Hispaniola, probably caused by insularization. The butterflies found in Dominican amber do not support a hypothesis of a Gondwanan origin for many butterfly tribes and subfamilies as previously proposed; we conclude that this hypothesis is implausible based on the age of the butterflies as inferred from the fossil record. Some palaeoecologic and taphonomic questions are discussed.
Description
17 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 15-17).
Includes bibliographical references (p. 15-17).
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