Satyrites reynesii

Jong, Rienk De, 2017, Fossil butterflies, calibration points and the molecular clock (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea), Zootaxa 4270 (1), pp. 1-63 : 36-37

reynesii . Satyrites reynesii Scudder, 1872

Nymphalidae : Satyrinae .

France, Bouches-du-Rhône, Aix-en-Provence; late Oligocene–early Miocene.

Depository: MVMF (holotype).

Published figures: Leestmans (1983: Figs 9–10); Scudder (1875: Pl. I Figs 2 , 5 ).

The original description ( Scudder 1872) is repeated by Scudder (1875), who erected a new genus for the fossil: Lethites . Kozlov (1988) accepted Scudder’s genus switch. The poorly preserved specimen bears only the forewings, which yield some usable characters. Subcosta basally strongly swollen; radial formula 1, 2, 3+(4+5), cell closed. A swollen subcosta is typical, but not universal, for Satyrinae (Nymphalidae) , but this character occurs in some genera of the Biblidinae as well ( Biblis , Ergolis , Eurytela , Hypanis , Vila ). In Nymphalinae with swollen Sc, the cell is usually open or at least, the ldc is weak. In the fossil ldc seems to be fairly strong. Thus, it is plausible to consider the fossil a member of the Satyrinae . According to Scudder it is similar to the recent genera Lethe and Cercyonis , but it is not clear why it should be more similar to these genera than to any other satyrine genus. The similarity is not an indication of relationship, since Lethe and Cercyonis are only remotely related ( Wahlberg et al. 2009). Moreover, in Lethe there are no basally swollen veins in the forewing ( Ackery et al. 1999).

Neorinopsis, Pseudoneorina , Neorinella and Satyrites have been classified, without comment, as fossil genera belonging to the subtribe Lethina of the tribe Satyrini by Wahlberg & Peña (2015), but these choices are not supported by apomorphies. For further details, see the discussion under Neorinella garciae and Neorinopsis sepulta .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Apomorphies, their placement on a tree, and the assignment of calibration points. See text for explanation.

FIGURE 5. Ƒanessa amerindica Miller & Brown, 1989, holotype, collections of Invertebrate Paleontology, University of Florida. Photo by Roger Portell. Fig. 6. Pseudoneorina coulleti Nel & Descimon, 1984. France, Dép. Alpes-de-Haute- Provence, Dauphin, specimen in coll. M. Henrotay; photo by courtesy of M. Henrotay. Fig. 7. Archaeolycorea ferreirai Martins-Neto, 1989. Fig. 4 A of original description. Fig. 8. Oligodonta florissantensis Brown, 1976, holotype, collections of Invertebrate Paleontology, University of Florida. Photo by courtesy of Akito Kawahara. Fig. 9. Neorinella garciae Martins- Neto, Kucera-Santos, de Moraes Vieira & de Campos Fragoso, 1993. Fig. 3 A of original description. Fig. 10. Protocoeliades kristenseni de Jong, 2016, holotype, Zoologisk Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark. Photo by Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, USA.