Epiborkhausenites

Epiborkhausenites is an extinct genus of moth in the concealer moth family Oecophoridae[1] and containing a single species Epiborkhausenites obscurotrimaculatus.[2] The species is known only from Middle Eocene, Bartonian stage,[3] Baltic amber deposits near the town of Palanga in Lithuania.[2]

Epiborkhousenites Temporal range: 37.7–Middle Eocene Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Oecophoridae
Genus:	†Epiborkhausenites
Species:	†E. obscurotrimaculatus
Binomial name
†Epiborkhausenites obscurotrimaculatus Skalski, 1973

History and classification

Epiborkhausenites obscurotrimaculatus is known only from one fossil, the holotype, specimen "No. 16,8 IGUW/AWS". It is a single, mostly complete female, preserved as a three-dimensional fossil in transparent yellow amber.[2] The 18×15×7 millimetres (0.71×0.59×0.28 in) amber specimen is from the fossiliferous Tyszkiewicz's Amber Mine which is located near the seaside town of Palanga. While the type description does not mention the geologic age of the amber, dating of the material based on the microfauna inclusions present gives a date of 37.7 mya.[3] The type specimen is currently preserved in the Palaeozoological Laboratory amber collections housed in the University of Warsaw, located in Warsaw, Poland. Epiborkhausenites was first studied by Andrzej W. Skalski of Czestochowa, Poland, with his 1973 type description being published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.[2] The generic name was coined by Skalski in reference to the similarity of the genus to the related genus Paraborkhausenites. The explanation for the specific epithet obscurotrimaculatus refers the three dark spots that are visible on the fore-wings.[2]

Visual comparison of E. obscurotrimaculatus to other fossil species from amber showed a close relationship with Paraborkhausenites innominatus, Borkhausenites implicatella and B. incertella. Paraborkhausenites can be distinguished from Epiborkhausenites by the vein structuring in the fore wings with Paraborkhausenites having r₁, r₂, and r₃ veins which run parallel to each other. In Epiborkhausenites the spacing between the r₁ and r₂ is larger than the spacing between the r₂ and r₃.[2]

Based on the observable external character of the wing venation, E. obscurotrimaculatus to the modern species Tubuliferola josephinae, Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Himmacia huachucella, Psilocorsis quercicella and Inga sparsiciliella. Skalski notes that the species Tubuliferola josephinae and Hofmannophila pseudospretella both have a very similar color patterning of spots on the fore wings as that seen on E. obscurotrimaculatus.[2]

Description

The holotype female is considered remarkably well preserved and complete, missing only the palpi labiales which were possibly plucked. The underside of the abdomen is obscured by a delicate milky coating. One of the hind wings shows a deformation due to folding.[2] The 4.3 millimetres (0.17 in) fore wings are a little over 3 times as long as they are wide and have a blunt tip. The hindwings are slightly narrower than the forewings. The fore wings show a well preserved and distinct color pattering, each with a larger dark spot present near the transversal vein and two positioned on the basal half of the wing. This color patterning was the first observed on a microlepidopteran fossil in amber.[2]

References

1. "Epiborkhausenites". The Paleontology Database. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
2. Skalski, A.W. (1973). "Studies on the Lepidoptera from fossil resins. Part II. Epiborkhausenites obscurotrimaculatus gen. et sp. nov. (Oecophoridae) and a tineid-moth discovered in the Baltic amber" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 18 (1): 153–160.
3. Perkovsky, E. E.; Rasnitsyn, A. P.; Vlaskin, A. P.; Taraschuk, M. V. (2007). "A comparative analysis of the Baltic and Rovno amber arthropod faunas: representative samples" (PDF). African Invertebrates. 48 (1): 229–245. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-16.