Tiny scales in ancient lagoon may be the first fossil evidence of the moth-butterfly line

Specialized drinking mouthparts might have evolved before the flowers moths now drink from

OLDEST MOTH SCALE  A tiny insect scale from an ancient lagoon (left) may be one of the earliest fossil signs of  the evolutionary branch of moths and butterflies. Comparisons with modern scales (right) identified it.

T. van Eldijk; Hossein Rajaei  

Newly described little scaly bits could push back the fossil record of the moth-and-butterfly branch on the tree of life by some 70 million years.