Archaeolepis


Archaeolepis mane is the earliest known Lepidopteran fossil. It dates from the Lower Jurassic and according to Grimaldi & Engel a recent re-examination of the specimen has given additional support to its ordinal placement. The fossil consists of a pair of wings with scales that are characteristically similar to the wing venation pattern found in Trichoptera.
The fossil was found in Dorset in the United Kingdom by J. F. Jackson, of Charmouth.