The oldest fossils of butterflies date back to about 56 million years ago, during the Paleocene epoch. However, the oldest named butterfly is Archaeolepis mane from the Early Jurassic epoch, about 190 million years ago. This fossil was found in the Charmouth Mudstone Formation in Dorset, England, and it consists of three wings.
The name Archaeolepis means "ancient scale" and the name mane was given in honor of entomologist Lord Walter Rothschild.
The naming of butterflies is a complex process that is governed by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). The ICZN publishes an official list of all valid scientific names for animals, and the name for a particular species is based on a number of factors, including the date of publication of the first scientific description of the species and the priority of different names that have been proposed for the same species.
In the case of Archaeolepis mane, the first scientific description of the species was published in 1907 by British entomologist Richard South. South gave the species the name Archaeolepis mane because he believed that it was the oldest known butterfly fossil. The name Archaeolepis mane has been accepted by the ICZN and is the official scientific name for this species.
The naming of butterflies is an ongoing process, and new species are being discovered all the time. As new species are discovered, they are given scientific names according to the rules of the ICZN. This helps to ensure that there is a consistent and accurate system for naming butterflies, which is important for scientific research and communication.
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