Introduction

(1) The Leptree Fossil Project project seeks to enlist all interested lepidopterists in an on-line review of the entire lepidopteran fossil record.

(2) An on-line catalog of all known lepidopteran fossils and associated data and references is under construction. The data page for each fossil can be accessed through the Fossil Catalog. Current number of entries: 665. These pages will be updated as new information (e.g. on identification) becomes available. Comments and corrections are welcomed.

(3) We have also begun posting images of all the fossils. These will ultimately be linked to the corresponding information page for each fossil; the links at present are NOT active.

(4) All lepidopterists and paleoentomologists are invited to contribute to a critical review of the identifications of these fossils. Very few lepidopteran fossils have yet been placed through explicit evaluation of synapomorphies established by phylogenetic study. (Indeed, morphological synapomorphies have not even been established for most clades of extant Lepidoptera.)

(5) The ultimate goal: a comprehensive set of securely dated and identified fossils, for use by all lepidopterists interested in dating phylogenies.

Review the LepTree fossil project in the following powerpoint presentation:
Sohn, J., C. Lanandeira and the Leptree consortium, 2008. "Leptree Fossil Project": When Lepidopterists Meet Paleontologists. Lepidopterists' Society 59th Annual Meeting with Southern Lepidopteris' Society and Association for Tropical Lepidoptera, June 24-27, 2008. Mississippi State University. (ppt)