Epiborkhausenites

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

Epiborkhausenites is an extinct

Middle Eocene, Bartonian stage,^[3] Baltic amber deposits near the town of Palanga in Lithuania.^[2]

History and classification

Epiborkhausenites obscurotrimaculatus is known only from one fossil, the

Palaeozoological Laboratory amber collections housed in the University of Warsaw, located in Warsaw, Poland. Epiborkhausenites was first studied by Andrzej W. Skalski of Częstochowa, 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

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

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

^ "Epiborkhausenites". The Paleontology Database. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ 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.
^ ^a ^b 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.

[1] "Epiborkhausenites". The Paleontology Database. Retrieved 2011-08-12.

[Skalski1973-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ 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.

[Ritzkowski1997-3] 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.

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