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. We offer you to see what the largest representatives of the Lepidoptera order look like and where they live.

Tizania Agrippina

This nocturnal moth, called Thysania agrippina, or Agrippina cutworm, lives in the tropical rainforests of South and Central America. The largest of known to science representatives of this species were caught in Brazil, and its wingspan reached 29.8 centimeters.

Tizania Agrippina

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 largest day butterfly in the world. These butterflies live only on the island 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 the color and shape of their wings.

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing: male above, female below

Peacock-eye Hercules

Peacock-eye Hercules, male

The Hercules peacock-eye, or Coscinocera 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 wing shapes.

Peacock eye atlas

Another giant butterfly from the peacock-eye family is the atlas peacock-eye (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 the nutrients accumulated by the caterpillar. Females and males differ somewhat from each other in the color and shape of their wings.

Sailboat antimah

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

Ornithoptera 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 their island distribution, several subspecies are distinguished among them, which differ in their color nuances.

Troides Hippolytus

Troides hippolytus: male above, female below

Females of the species Troides hypolitus (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 trojana, male

Another beauty that ranks 8th on our list of giants is 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 in size, but their color is brighter.

Ornithoptera cresus

Ornithoptera Croesus, male

A very bright daytime 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, brightly colored nocturnal butterfly that lives exclusively in the humid forests of Madagascar. The Madagascar comet (lat. Argema mittrei) is so named for the unusual shape of its lower wings. The wingspan of this beauty, whose image appears on the Madagascar 5,000 Malagasy franc banknote, reaches 14-18 centimeters.

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing

The male Queen Alexandra Birdwing can be called the king of butterflies. Its huge wings with a span of 170-200 mm shine with green and blue colors. The wings are narrower than those of other birdwings and resemble the leaves of a tropical plant.

The female is significantly different from the male. It is much larger: the span of its huge wings reaches 280 mm - this is more than that of any other day butterfly. But in brightness and beauty she is inferior to the male: on her wide dark brown wings there is a light ornament of cream and yellowish “strokes” of various shapes. The peculiar pattern of the underside of the wings with contrasting wide darkening along the veins allows one to immediately distinguish the female Queen Alexandra birdwing from other birdwing species.
The caterpillar of this species of butterfly is velvety black with a longitudinal cream stripe and reaches a length of 12 cm, and the pupa reaches 9 cm (with a diameter of 8 cm). The Queen Alexandra birdwing caterpillar, like other ornithopterans, feeds on leaves various types Aristolochia vines, which is why these butterflies are sometimes called Aristolochia birdwings. Butterflies live for about three months. This ornithoptera has few natural enemies. A much greater threat to the species is the cutting down of forests and plantations of coconut palms, cocoa and rubber trees, replacing their natural habitats.

Habitat is limited: isolated areas of tropical rainforests in the Popondetta Valley (Papua New Guinea). Only there is Diels's kirkazon found - the only plant from the kirkazonaceae family on which Alexandra females lay eggs. Previously, the wonderful birdwing was also found in the mountains - in the northern part of the Owen-Stanley Range. When choosing a plant for laying eggs, the butterfly is extremely picky, while caterpillars are not so picky. Studies have shown that they can also feed on the leaves of other kirkazona plants. The complete development cycle from egg to butterfly takes more than four months.

“Float like a butterfly” - we use this expression every day and naturally, putting into it the lightness, speed, naturalness, grace of the movements and actions of this or that person. Residents of our country (at least its central part) are accustomed to the fact that butterflies do not reach enough large sizes and can easily fit in the palm of a person. However, 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.

Among them there are also real, so to speak, “giants”, who are able to amaze even the most prepared person with their size. In practice, in terms of their anthropometric parameters, they can completely compete with small birds. 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, we can highlight the South American tropical armyworm - the largest butterfly in the world known to scientists. It is also commonly called Tysania Agrippina from the Latin version Thysania agrippina. Back in 1934, the largest specimen of this insect species was caught. You won’t believe it, but its wingspan was 308 mm. This event took place in Brazil. It is worth noting that 63 years later, in 1997, but already in Peru, scientists caught Tizania Agrippina with almost identical wingspan parameters. At the same time, the length of the insect’s body itself can reach about 80 mm - this is a lot.

It is worth noting that this butterfly is actually very rare view, even for its habitat (Mexico, some other regions South America, especially its northern part). For this reason, the population of the South American tropical armyworm is under constant 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 the size. The color of the insect's wings is quite faded and unattractive. There are small brown spots on a gray background. However, this does not stop 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 creature of nature lives in distant Australia, as well as on islands nearby, such as New Guinea. The wingspan of this insect sometimes exceeds 280 mm. At the same time, females have the most large area(this parameter is also used in science) of wings, which can reach 263 cm2. Because of this, in fact, it got its name in honor of the mythical ancient hero.

As a rule, in its natural habitat, the Coscinocera hercules butterfly feeds on such plants (at the caterpillar development stage) as brook 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-Eyes Hercules at walnut, privet, even the well-known lilac or even willow.

In conclusion, it must be said that it is quite difficult to see such an unusual and quite 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 coloring) in the tropical forest where it lives.

Ornithoptera alexandrae

Queen Alexandra's ornithopter, Queen Alexandra's birdwing, Queen Alexandra's birdwing, Ornithoptera alexandrae - this is the name of another representative of giant butterflies. The wingspan of a 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 “weaker half” are colored brown interspersed with cream patterns, while the males have blue and green tints to their wings.

The history of assigning a scientific (so unusual) name to this species of butterfly is interesting. It is known that the first European who was able to discover this insect was a certain Albert Stewart Meek in 1906. But literally a year later, the butterfly collector, the famous Walter Rothschild, gave scientific name Ornithoptera alexandrae in honor of the wife of the king of Great Britain, who was King Edward VII at that time.

One more interesting fact related to these unusual insects, is that they have a very limited area of promise. They can only be found in the wild in the Popondetta Mountains, which are located in Popua New Guinea. As a result, Ornithoptera alexandrae is a very rare insect species that is highly valued by all butterfly collectors.

Attacus atlas

Another representative of giant butterflies is Attacus atlas, which has a very large habitat area, unlike previous specimens. It is distributed throughout almost the entire territory of Southeast Asia - from Java to Borneo, and from Indonesia to Thailand. The wingspan of females (and they are also significantly larger than males) can reach about 260 mm. It is worth noting that these butterflies are not only giants in their form, but also very beautiful. They have red, brown, cream, yellow and pink shades in their color.

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

Papua New Guinea

Description

The pride of the eastern tropics - Queen Alexandra's Ornithopter! We take our hats off, gentlemen, to such a great beauty! It's time for us to meet the largest butterfly in the world: the female Ornithoptera Queen Alexandra is considered the largest daytime butterfly with a wingspan of up to 30 cm. But note, this is only a female! This is how the famous naturalist and traveler Alfred Russell Wallace described his meeting with this “royalty”: “During my first walk through the forest, I saw a huge dark-colored butterfly with white and yellow spots sitting on the greenery out of reach. I couldn’t take it, because she immediately flew up to the treetops, but I noticed that it was a female with huge wings like a bird!... The next day I went to the same bushes again... and found one of the most magnificent colored butterflies in world. The wingspan of the male is over seven inches (about 15 cm), velvety black and fiery orange combined with a bright green color. The beauty and brilliance of this insect is indescribable, and no one but a naturalist can understand the strong excitement that I then I experienced..."
The behavior of these royal butterflies is surprising: the males “patrol” their forest territory every morning and often engage in air battles with competitors, and can even drive away small birds. When the male discovers the female, he hovers over her for a while, releasing pheromones so that she senses his presence and mating begins. After mating, the female incubates the eggs for 2 - 3 days. Then she lays eggs. After this, females and males fly in the morning and evening. Butterflies feed on the nectar of hibiscus and other large flowers that can support their weight; by the way, the butterfly weighs about 12 grams. However, while collecting nectar, butterflies constantly flutter their wings, supporting themselves in the air by weight. And finally, the most important thing: this species of Ornithopter is considered the rarest species and is found only in a tiny area - the Popondetta Valley in Papua New Guinea. This species was discovered in 1907 by Rothschild.

Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae Rothsild) is one of the largest daytime butterflies on our planet. It belongs to the family of sailboats (lat. Papilionidae). The famous banker and passionate butterfly collector Walter Rothschild named it in honor of the wife of King Edward VII of England, Alexandra.

Spreading

The insect lives in the tropical rainforests of Papua New Guinea, growing in the Popondetta mountain range. Diels's kirkazon is found in these forests. The birdwing lays its eggs on this plant. When choosing a plant for laying, the butterfly is very scrupulous, since the newly born caterpillars may consume an illegal product.

The eruption of Lamington Volcano in 1951 destroyed large areas of birdwing habitat.

Since then in natural conditions Queen Alexandra's birdwing is very rare. The population size was significantly affected by deforestation.

Currently, catching this species is prohibited. The insect has no natural enemies.

Description

The birdwing has highly noticeable sexual dimorphism. Females are much larger than males. The London Museum houses the largest insect with a wingspan of 27.2 cm, an abdomen length of about 8 cm and a weight of 12 g.

The wingspan of the male does not exceed 20 cm. They are narrower and have a green-blue tint, but the females are inferior in brightness to their partners.

The voluminous brown wings are decorated with an ornament of coffee and yellow spots of various configurations. The unique pattern on the lower wings of the insect allows you to distinguish the female birdwing from other species.

Reproduction

The butterfly develops throughout four months. Life cycle the imago is limited to three of them. Caterpillars eat various types of kirkazona.

The velvet-black caterpillar grows up to 12 cm in length, reaching a diameter of up to 3 cm. The pupa has a cocoon diameter of 8 cm and a length of 9 cm.

It is very difficult to catch a birdwing. She flies very high and does not fall to the ground.

The insect obtains its food in the form of nectar in the crowns of trees from the flowers of aristocholia. Due to its addiction to this plant, the butterfly received the name Birdwing Aristocholium.