ANCIENT butterflies exquisitely preserved in amber hint that the winged insects evolved far earlier than previously thought. They may even have fluttered around the heads of dinosaurs, more than 65 million years ago.
The oldest butterfly fossils found in rocks suggest they evolved about 40 or 50 million years ago. But the amber specimens, although just 15 to 25 million years old, have changed that view by shedding light on the earlier evolution of their ancestors. The amber pieces come from the Dominican Republic and each contains a metalmark butterfly, Voltinia dramba, which is now extinct. “It was just incredible,”…
