Ghosts from the past: a review of fossil Hepialoidea (Lepidoptera)

We critically re-examine nine of the ten fossil specimens currently assigned to Hepialidae. Three fossils with impressions of wing veins and scales placed in the fossil genus Prohepialus Piton, 1940 , and two mummified larvae that show apomorphic characters, have features that support placement in Hepialidae. The other four fossils that we evaluate, Prohepialus incertus Piton, 1940 ; Oiophassus nycterus Zhang, 1989 ; Protohepialus comstocki Pierce, 1945 ; and a fossil scale, lack definitive hepialid characters. One of these, Prohepialus incertus Piton, 1940 , appears to represent a symphytan (Hymenoptera), and is excluded from Lepidoptera. The fossilized wings placed in Prohepialus by Jarzembowski display numerous features that indicate a proximate phylogenetic relationship to extant members of the hepialid genus Sthenopis Packard and related genera.