Skip to main content

Table 2 Taxonomic and preservational modes of lepidopteran fossils

From: The fossil record and taphonomy of butterflies and moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera): implications for evolutionary diversity and divergence-time estimates

Superfamily

CI

CI&T

AM

AM&T

CO

SI

SI&T

SR

GC

AS

PET

Total

Tineoidea

3

0

105

96

0

8

1

1

0

0

0

214

Papilionoidea

81

0

50

0

9

0

0

1

1

0

0

142

Noctuoidea

30

0

3

1

6

2

0

67

0

1

0

110

Nepticuloidea

2

97

2

0

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

103

Gelechioidea

3

14

76

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

93

Tortricoidea

2

0

78

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

1

82

Bombycoidea

9

0

1

0

0

40

0

1

1

1

0

53

Gracillarioidea

1

39

4

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

45

Micropterigoidea

10

0

21

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

32

Yponomeutoidea

4

3

14

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

23

Adeloidea

0

8

12

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

20

Geometroidea

8

0

3

0

4

0

0

2

0

0

0

17

Pyraloidea

8

0

2

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

11

Zygaenoidea

9

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

10

Hepialoidea

7

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

0

0

9

Cossoidea

5

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

7

Eriocranioidea

2

1

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

5

Pterophoroidea

3

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

Carposinoidea

1

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

Lophocoronoidea

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

Mnesarchaeoidea

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

Tischerioidea

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

Thyridoidea

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

  1. The numbers of the fossil specimens are shown in each column. The lepidopteran superfamilies are arranged by numerical rank order of total fossil specimens. Preservational mode abbreviations: AM, amber and copal; AS, asphaltum and tar sands; CI, compressions and impressions; GC, gut contents and coprolites; PE, peat and lignite; SA, salt deposits; SR, sieved residues; and SI, silica and other forms of permineralization.