The three specimens from Eocene ambers with bipectinate antennae were studied by comparison with many Lepidoptera families in which such antennae have been described. All families except Psychidae could be excluded (Table 1, top part). On this basis, subfamilies of Psychidae were checked for more detailed characters. Special focus was on subfamilies that have been reported from Baltic amber via their bags (Sobczyk and Kobbert 2009). The SNSB collection was used for comparison with male moths of extant genera, resulting in an affiliation to subfamily Psychinae (Table 1, middle part).

For systematic affiliation, extant genera which are morphologically closest to the new records from amber were compared with respect to characters of diagnostic relevance (Table 2).

It is challenging to establish a connection between the fossil preserved in amber and the modern genera of the family Psychidae. It is evident that this specimen belongs to the subfamily Psychinae, a group that is currently distributed worldwide with the exception of Antarctica. The majority of these can be characterized as follows: mostly small moths, dark blackish-brown or brownish-grey, sometimes with distinct reticular pattern. The wings are stretched, and the head and thorax are roughly hairy. Ocelli (accessory eyes) are absent, the labial palp is reduced to one segment, and the antennae are bipectinate with long pecten. On the forewings 9 veins emanate from discal cell, the hindwings have 5 veins from the discal cell. The intercalary cell and accessory cell are either absent or present. Scales are mostly broad (classes 4–5 after Sauter 1956). On foreleg a tibial epiphysis is present. Midlegs bear apical tibial spurs, hindlegs are with apical and medial tibial spurs. The larval cases are variable, tubular or conical and covered longitudinally with grass stems, bark, lichens or fine grains of sand and soil.

The above table presents a summary of the most significant characteristics of the genera within the subfamily Psychinae that are relevant in Central Europe. However, it should be noted that some of these characteristics are difficult or impossible to observe in the fossil specimen enclosed in amber.

Diagnosis: The classification within the genus Proutia remains provisional and speculative, pending further findings. The presence of taxa from the subfamily Psychinae in Baltic amber is a noteworthy occurrence. Sobczyk and Kobbert (2009) provide sufficient evidence to support this claim, using preserved larval cases as crucial evidence. These are consistent with larval cases of the recent genus Proutia Tutt, 1899, and the classification of the taxon described here as Proutia is supported by this evidence. It is highly probable that some of the cases found to date can be attributed to the adult specimen described herein, but this cannot be proven.

Taphonomy: The inclusion is preserved in a polished piece of Ukrainian amber 27 mm × 12 mm × 4 mm in size (cabochon). Syninclusions: only shed scales from the moth.

Description: Imago some 6.5 mm. Head. Hind part covered with small scales, vertex and frons covered with milky emulsion. Largest eye-distance about equal to eye height. Labial palps thin, short, upwards pointing, and densely covered with small scales. No other mouthparts present. Ocelli not observable. Antennae bipectinate, of nearly 2/3 times of costa length, with 29 segments. Pecten between segments 1–15 of 1.5 times of segment length. Segments basally densely covered with short setae. Pecten also distally covered with long setae. Pecten elements forked. Thorax. Forewings stretched, apex pointed, termen oblique. Forewing length some 5 mm, forewing width some 2.2 mm, semi-hyaline. Venation partially visible. Forewings covered with broad scales (classes 4–5, after Sauter 1956) and with cilia. Forelegs with epiphysis. Tarsus with 5 segments. Praetarsus with 2 curved crawls. Midleg with apical tibial spurs; hindlegs with apical and medial tibial spurs. Abdomen. Only distal end visible, this densely covered with scales, clasping organ with valves visible.

The specimen can be recognized as a member of Psychidae, but is too incompletely preserved to allow for a subfamily affiliation.

Taphonomy: The inclusion is preserved in a polished piece of Baltic amber 26 mm × 11 mm × 8 mm in size. Syninclusions: Chironomidae, isolated Acarus (mite), Quercus-type trichomes, some detritus.

From Baltic amber, three specimens of Proutia-type bags with caterpillars have been identified (Fig. 2).

The noticeable character of bipectinate antennae drew attention to these moth inclusions in Ukrainian and Baltic ambers. Screening Lepidopteran families for which bipectinate antennae have been reported confirmed the initial assumption that the specimens are male bagworm moths. With the already described bags affiliated with the genus Proutia, the male adult counterparts to the juveniles have now been found from succinite.

Taphonomy of caterpillars and their bags is very different to that of the male imagos. Bags of Psychidae are often fixed to trees and are durable. The caterpillars are polyphagous and occur on diverse plants. Hence, caterpillars and bags are predisposed for inclusion in resin, and, consequently, frequent in amber. In contrast, males are short living and mobile, with lower likelihood of capture by resin. Furthermore, individuals overwinter as late instars and emerge as adults in late spring (Rhainds et al. 2009), which may not have been the maximum season in resin production, further diminishing chances of capturing males. Extant males fly during daytime as well as by night, depending on species. Bipectinate antennae suggest the use of pheromones by females for attraction of males, which are equipped with highly efficient chemoreceptors. Seemingly, in Eocene Proutia male imagos were also the searching sex, like the extant ones. Capture in resin and preservation in amber may be due to sexual attraction by females positioned with their bags at the bark of resin producing trees, but no syninclusion of female and male is known yet. Only a single case of fossil tineid moths in copula has been described up to now (Fischer and Hörnig 2019). Also, the female flightless counterparts to the males have not yet been found or are still unrecognized.

Morphology and, in conclusion, life habits of Proutia are seemingly conservative, as evidenced from the new findings in comparison to extant species of the genus (Figs 5, 6), however, fossil females are still unknown. Bags of the psychid genus Dahlica from Baltic amber had been found before, and are indistinguishable from those of extant Dahlica triquetrella (Sobczyk and Kobbert 2009). Consequently, and in contrast to common practice with amber inclusions, they were given the name of the extant species. In this work, the finds are affiliated with the extant genus, but as fossil species.