Where does the alexandra ornithopter butterfly live. Ornithoptera alexandrae - live butterfly museum tropical paradise

The bird wing is a rare butterfly of stunning beauty. It is the only one of its kind among lepidoptera insects.

She is also called Queen Alexandra or Alexandra's Ornithopter. Translated into Greek, it means "birdwing".

The butterfly got this name for a reason: due to its very large size, at a distance, it is very similar to a bird. Ornithopters are included in the family of sailboats, and their number reaches 800 varieties.

The ornithopter was nicknamed the queen because of its distinctively larger size among the members of the entire sailing family. And the name was given to her in honor of the wife of the British King Edward VII. By right, this butterfly is called a real pearl. rainforest.

For the first time such a butterfly was caught by accident, in New Guinea. It was a male. The size of his wings was as much as 20 centimeters! And their unusual shape, reminiscent of tropical leaves and stunning, unimaginable coloring was amazing. This male, by decision of scientists, was classified as a completely new species of ornithopter. It became necessary to find a mate for him, especially since females are much larger than males. The size of the wings of an adult female sometimes reaches 28 centimeters! However, their coloring is less bright than that of males.

The first lucky man in search of a female in 1906 was A.S. Mick. To add to his insect collection, he wandered into central part New Guinea is the only place where birdwings live. Resting at a halt, Mick accidentally noticed a huge insect in the air, at the very tops of the trees. Having fired, he hit him directly and the insect fell right at the feet of the scientist. It was the same female Queen Alexandra that he had been looking for so long. It was a rich dark brown color, and the size of the wings was as much as 28 cm.

Many collectors dream of getting a huge butterfly and are actively hunting for it. But it is almost impossible to do this, since she lives and feeds on the nectar of flowers growing at a very high altitude. The flowers are called Aristochylia and bloom high on the branches of trees.

On the this moment, hunting for huge butterflies is strictly prohibited, as they are under protection due to a strong reduction in their numbers. This was the result of the Lamington volcanic eruption in 1951. More than 260 square meters were lost. km of bird wing habitat.

“Flitting like a butterfly” is an expression we use everyday and naturally, putting into it the ease, speed, naturalness, grace of movements and actions of a person. The inhabitants of our country (at least in its central part) are used to the fact that butterflies do not reach enough large sizes and can easily fit in the palm of a person. Nevertheless, entomologists claim that on our planet there are now more than 110 thousand (according to other sources, even more than 140 thousand) of the most diverse species of these flying insects.

There are also real, if I may say so, "giants" among them, who are able to amaze even the most trained person with their size. In practice, they can compete with small birds in their anthropometric parameters. By the way, even in classical cases, modern scientists are not yet able to fully analyze and describe the process of formation of butterflies from caterpillars, including such large ones.

The largest butterflies in the world (Top 4)

Thysania agrippina

Among the largest specimens, without a doubt, one can single out the South American tropical owl - the most big butterfly in the world known to scientists. It is also customary to call her Tizania Agrippina from Latin version Thysania agrippina. Back in 1934, the largest specimen of this insect species was caught. You will not believe it, but its wingspan was 308 mm. This event took place in Brazil. It is worth noting that after 63 years in 1997, but already in Peru, Tizania Agrippina was caught by scientists with almost identical wingspan parameters. At the same time, the length of the body of the insect itself can reach about 80 mm - this is a lot.

It is worth noting that this butterfly is actually very rare view, even for their habitat (Mexico, some other regions South America, especially in the northern part). For this reason, the population of the South American tropical armyworm is under vigilant control and protection.

Most butterflies delight the human eye with their bright, unique and non-standard coloring. But this statement does not apply to the species considered above. Perhaps the only advantage in aesthetic terms is precisely the size. The color of the wings of the insect is quite faded and unattractive. Small brown spots are located on a grayish background. However, this does not prevent connoisseurs and nature lovers from enjoying Thysania agrippina.

Coscinocera Hercules

Peacock-eye Hercules, this is the name of the next large butterfly, which will be discussed below. This amazing creation of nature lives in distant Australia, as well as on nearby islands, such as New Guinea. The wingspan of this insect sometimes exceeds 280 mm. At the same time, females have the largest area (this parameter is also used in science) of wings, which can reach 263 cm2. Because of this, in fact, she got her name in honor of the mythical ancient hero.

Typically, under environmental conditions natural habitat Butterfly Coscinocera hercules feeds on such plants (at the stage of development of the caterpillar) as a stream tree and late bird cherry. But, it should be noted that in captivity the caterpillars of this insect can perfectly adapt to other "ingredients" of their diet. So in our area you can grow Peacock-eye Hercules on walnut, privet, even the well-known lilac or even willow.

In conclusion, it must be said that it is rather difficult to see such an unusual and rather rare butterfly for many reasons, among which, perhaps, it is worth highlighting one. This insect is exclusively nocturnal. As a result, it is almost impossible to see it (given its protective coloration) in the rainforest where it lives.

Ornithoptera alexandrae

Queen Alexandra's ornithopter, Queen Alexandra's birdwing, Queen Alexandra's birdwing, Ornithoptera alexandrae - this is what another representative of giant butterflies is called. The wingspan of the female sometimes reaches 280 mm, but in males this parameter is much smaller and rarely exceeds 200 mm. At the same time, males and females differ significantly in coloring. Representatives, so to speak, of the "weak half" are painted brown with splashes of cream ornament, while males have a blue and green tint to their wings.

An interesting story is the assignment of a scientific (so unusual) name to this species of butterflies. It is known that the first European who was able to detect this insect was a certain Albert Stuart Meek in 1906. But just a year later, the butterfly collector, the famous Walter Rothschild, gave the scientific name Ornithoptera alexandrae in honor of the wife of the King of Great Britain, who at that time was King Edward VII.

Another interesting fact associated with these unusual insects is that they have a very limited range of promise. They can be found in their natural environment only in the region of the Popondetta Mountains, which are located in Popua New Guinea. As a result, Ornithoptera alexandrae is a very rare insect species highly valued by all butterfly collectors.

Attacus atlas

Another representative of giant butterflies is Attacus atlas, which has a very large area habitat, unlike previous specimens. It is distributed almost throughout Southeast Asia - from Java to Borneo, and from Indonesia to Thailand. The wingspan of females (and they are also largely larger than males) can reach up to 260 mm. It is worth noting that this butterfly is not only giants in its form, but also very beautiful. They come in reds, browns, creams, yellows and pinks.

And in conclusion, people actively use this type of insect for their own purposes. In particular, a silk thread is obtained, which is secreted by the caterpillar Attacus atlas. Silk fabrics from this thread are of very high quality. In addition, original wallets are often made from cocoons, and they can reach 100 mm.

Description

Butterflies are rightfully considered one of the most beautiful inhabitants of our planet. But the fluttering beauties of our country cannot be compared with the giant butterflies that live in southern countries. Let's take a look at what the most big representatives orders of Lepidoptera and where they live.

Tizania agrippina

Tizania agrippina

This moth under the name Tizania agrippina (lat. Thysania agrippina), or scoop agrippina, lives in the tropical rainforests of South and Central America. The largest of known to science representatives of this species was caught in Brazil, and its wingspan reached 29.8 centimeters.

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing

Queen Alexandra's birdwing, male

A butterfly called Queen Alexandra's birdwing, or Queen Alexandra's ornithopter (lat. Ornithoptera alexandrae) is the world's largest diurnal butterfly. These butterflies live only on the island of New Guinea and, unfortunately, are so rare that they are even listed in the International Red Book as an endangered species. The wingspan of this butterfly reaches 27 centimeters, and males and females differ significantly in color and shape of the wings.

Peacock-eye hercules

Peacock-eyed Hercules, or Koscinocera Hercules (lat. Coscinocera hercules), is also a nocturnal butterfly and lives in Australia and Papua New Guinea. The wingspan of this beauty reaches 26-27 centimeters, and the caterpillars grow up to 10 centimeters in length. In this species, females and males also have different colors and the shape of the wings.

Peacock-eye atlas

Peacock-eye atlas

Another giant butterfly from the peacock-eye family is the peacock-eye atlas (lat. Attacus atlas). They live in tropical and sub tropical forests Southeast Asia, and their wingspan reaches 24 centimeters. It is noteworthy that adult butterflies do not feed and live off nutrients accumulated by the caterpillar. Females and males are somewhat different from each other in color and shape of the wings.

Sailboat antimach

This bright leopard-colored butterfly lives in the equatorial and tropical regions of Africa and is the largest butterfly on the continent. The sailboat antimachus (lat. Papilio antimachus) has a wingspan of up to 23-25 ​​centimeters and is active in the daytime.

Ornithopter goliath

Ornithoptera goliath: male above, female below

Ornithoptera goliath, or bird-winged goliath (lat. Ornithoptera goliath), measures up to 20-22 centimeters and lives on the islands of Southeast Asia. Due to the island distribution, several subspecies are distinguished among them, which differ in color nuances.

Troides Hippolyte

Females of the troides hippolytus species (lat. Troides hypolitus) are larger than males, and their wingspan reaches 20 centimeters. These butterflies live in the forests of Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands.

trogonoptera trojan

Trogonoptera trojan, male

Another beauty that occupies the 8th place in our list of giants is the trogonoptera trojan (lat. Trogonoptera trojana). A very rare butterfly that lives only on the island of Palawan (Philippines). The wingspan of this species reaches 17-19 centimeters. Males are smaller, but their color is brighter.

Ornithoptera croesus

A very bright diurnal butterfly with a contrasting orange-black color lives in Indonesia and the islands of the Moluccas archipelago. Ornithoptera croesus (lat. Ornithoptera croesus) has a wingspan of 16-19 centimeters, while females are larger than males.

Madagascar comet

A very original night butterfly of bright colors, living exclusively in moist forests Madagascar. Madagascar comet (lat. Argema mittrei) is named after unusual shape lower wings. The wingspan of this beauty, whose image is present on the banknote of Madagascar in denominations of 5000 Malagasy francs, reaches 14-18 centimeters.