Miopieris talboti

Jong, Rienk De, 2017, Fossil butterflies, calibration points and the molecular clock (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea), Zootaxa 4270 (1), pp. 1-63 : 40

talboti . Miopieris talboti Zeuner, 1942

Pieridae .

Germany, Baden-Würtemberg, Esslingen, Randecker Maar; Burdigalian, early Miocene.

Depository: BMNH (holotype).

Published figures: Murata (1998: Fig. 38); Zeuner (1942: Fig. 1 ).

This specimen is poorly preserved. Of the radial branches of the forewing only the basal parts of R1, R2 and the common stem of R3, R4 and R5, assuming the latter two are present, are visible; M2 originates from the upper angle of the cell, M1 is apparently stalked on the common stem of R3, R4 and R5; probably one R branch lost as commonly found when M1 is stalked on R, but the relevant part of the wing missing. The distad trajectory of M1 along the common stem of R3-5 is found throughout the Pieridae , but also occurs in a number of Lycaenidae and in the nymphalid genus Microtia . The light colour and dark spots at end of cell and between M3 and CuA1, and CuA1 and CuA2, agree with Pieridae , and not with other butterflies with a distally translocated M1. The condition of the fossil is too poor to allow further statements. However, Zeuner (1942) saw a similarity with Pontia callidice Hübner and Tatochile macrodice Staudinger. Perhaps on the basis of Zeuner’s remark, Braby et al. (2006) considered the “ Pontia group (possibly Pontia )” the closest relative of the fossil and used it accordingly as a calibration point.

Figures

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