What miracles does the great and powerful nature create! This is especially true for huge butterflies, which from unpleasant-looking caterpillars turn into real beauties, resembling flower buds fluttering through the air.
There are species of these insects that, with their size, can surpass the average bird. Basically, fluttering giants are common in the tropics. It is difficult to say which butterfly is the largest in the world, but the most grandiose ones are worth a closer look.
Urania madagascarica
Madagascar Urania can be found on the island of Madagascar. It received this name in honor of the Muse of the science of astronomy. Its wingspan is 12 cm. This beauty is active during the day, warmed by the rays of sunlight, it flutters over flowers, collecting nectar from them.
The active growth of Urania begins in May and continues until the end of July. The Madagascan beauty is distinguished by the unusual coloring of its wings, which shimmer in the sunlight with the entire spectrum of colors of the rainbow.
Sailboat Maak
This butterfly lives in Russia, mainly in the Far East. In addition, it can be found on the Japanese shores, Korea and China. It received this name in honor of the naturalist who studied insects at the end of the 19th century - Richard Maack. The wings of the Sailfish can open up to 13.5 cm.
The color of her wings is incredibly interesting:
- the front part of the male’s wings is painted black, on which a green coating flickers, condensing towards the edges into an emerald-colored border;
- on the opposite section of the wing you can see a kind of fringe, in the form of the finest lace of small hairs;
- the female's wings are uniformly colored brown, only a few green dots can be seen on its front surface;
- The border, located at the very edge of the beauty’s wings, contains shades of green-blue and red-violet.
Photo of Sailboat Maak
Such butterflies are common in deciduous forests, but they can even be found in spruce forests and mixed plantings. At a time when widespread flowering of subalpine vegetation begins, Maak's Sailboat can rise to a height of 2000 m above sea level.
Life cycle
How long do moths live? The life cycle of these insects deserves close study; it can be divided into several successive stages:
- Eggs are laid by these moths either in the form of heaps or individual specimens. Moreover, females are able to lay them directly during flight, place them on objects or in vegetation tissues.
- After the allotted time, caterpillars emerge from the eggs, having a head, three pairs of legs with marigolds on the chest, and five pairs of legs on the body. After surviving periods of molting, the caterpillars are enclosed in a cocoon called a pupa. In it, the individual cannot move; the paws are tightly pressed to the body.
- After a while, an adult moth emerges from the pupa.
Ornithoptera Chimera
The Chimera is a truly unique butterfly; it is capable of performing incredible turns and tricks in the air. This ability is given to her by her wings, one of the largest in the world, which have a span of 15 cm.
Ornithoptera is common in New Guinea and the island of Java, it prefers tropical rainforests, living at an altitude of 1200 to 1800 meters above sea level.
Female Chimeras differ slightly from males in their color and size. Their wings are painted in shades of black and white, while males have a wide variety of shades.
Peacock-eye Pear
The Pear Peacock Eye belongs to the order Lepidoptera. It lives both in Europe and in Russia. The wingspan of this giantess can vary from 12 to 15 cm.
The butterfly's wings are incredibly beautiful - along the edge they are outlined with a white edging, and in the upper part they are decorated with large eyes outlined in a silver line.
The Pear Peacock-eye is a rare species of butterfly, listed in the Red Book.
Industrial melanism
Industrial melanism is the presence in the body of moths of a pigment that makes them darker than other individuals. This ability is inherited.
Currently, there is a tendency towards an increase in individuals of the melanized species, especially for populations living in Europe. If previously the light color of the night moth was the species norm, today dark moths are replacing them. Despite the fact that the survival rate in nature is higher in light-colored moths, dark ones are better adapted to life with nutritional deficiencies. However, constant clashes with predators leave melanists in the minority.
In areas with industrial production, where many objects of the plant world are covered with soot, melanistic butterflies survive better than their white counterparts, because their camouflage abilities are higher . In addition, they feed on food that is contaminated with industrial waste and this does not in any way affect their life activity, unlike light-colored moths.
Golden Birdwing
The Golden Birdwing is a real beauty, standing out among all the giant butterflies. It is not easy to meet her; she tends to hide deep in the tropics of South Asia, in impenetrable forest thickets.
The wingspan of this insect can reach 16.5 cm. The flight of this giant resembles the soaring of a magic bird, which is facilitated by the unusual color of the wings. The latter have a shade of golden yellow, are cast with mother-of-pearl and transmit the sun's rays through them.
Among Asian peoples, this beauty is considered a symbol of financial well-being, so many strive to find it and hold it in their hands for at least a few moments.
This butterfly is a very rare species, which is listed in the Red Book.
Features of color
Having seen the flourishing of these insects, many wonder whether moths are dangerous. In fact, they are no more dangerous than the daytime varieties, but the pigmentation of the moths deserves attention.
The color of butterfly wings has a dual nature: structural and pigment . This means that the scales that are located on the surface of the insects’ body contain pigment. It is this substance that absorbs the sun's rays or simply daylight and reflects them, due to which the solar spectrum of shades visible to the human eye appears. As for the structural part of the color, it appears as a result of the refraction of the sun's rays, which does not require the presence of pigment.
Important! Moths have predominantly pigmented coloration.
Saturnia Madagascarensis
The Madagascar Saturnia or Comet is a butterfly whose image is immortalized on the 5,000 Malagasy francs banknote. In the world this giant is called the moon moth, which in no way detracts from its beauty and grandeur.
The wingspan of Saturnia reaches 16-18 cm, and at their end there are long tails, which develop beautifully in the field and increase the span to 20 cm. Unfortunately, they often and quite quickly fall off during the flight. The wings are colored yellow, and in the middle of each of them there is a brown eye, in the center of which there is a black dot.
As the name implies, the butterfly lives in Madagascar and is nocturnal. Today, this species of butterfly is under protection because it is actively disappearing from the surface of the earth.
The beauty from Madagascar lives only 2-3 days, and all because she has no mouth and gastrointestinal tract organs. Therefore, it is able to exist exactly as long as the nutrients accumulated by it during its life as a caterpillar are sufficient.
Ways to protect yourself from enemies
The moths of Russia, and all others, are created by nature in such a way as to have protection from ill-wishers.
A list of defense mechanisms of moths is presented below.
Construction of shelters : different subspecies of moths organize similar protective structures for themselves. For example, caseworms and bagworms. The caterpillars of these moths, some time after hatching, build houses around which they attach pieces of foliage and various debris.
These shelters are designed in a special way so that the larva protrudes from them just enough so that in case of danger it can quickly hide inside . The house grows with its owner, at least until she grows up and becomes a pupa (this size is approximately 4-5 cm). After the allotted time, the butterflies come out, but only if we are talking about males. The females stay in these houses longer, until they are fertilized by the male and lay eggs.
Defensive body structures , including hairs and glands, are also defense mechanisms for moths. Do moths bite, having such a formidable weapon? The answer is obvious: only if necessary.
Many caterpillars have a series of bristles or hairs that can burn with poison hidden in the skin glands. During an attack, a dangerous mixture is sprayed from the tip of the bristles, which irritates the skin of the enemy.
In addition, insects use the following means of protection:
- glands in the larvae, with the help of which they cover their own bodies with a liquid that repels approaching predators;
- individual individuals begin to actively move when the enemy approaches, or pretend to be dead, or curl up into a tight ball;
- the larvae, at the moment of approaching danger, can fall from the branches on which they live, hanging on thin silk threads (the individual returns back along the same thread, slowly moving along it with its legs located on the chest and oral appendages);
- hawk moths have dorsal growths that look like horns, which they point towards approaching danger;
- insects can defend themselves with the help of long, prickly hairs covering their body.
The pupae of moths, so helpless in appearance, also have mechanisms to protect themselves from a sudden enemy attack:
- pupae living in the soil are colored in colors that make them invisible;
- moths weave silk cocoons (in the silkworm, such shelters can have up to three layers - loose, dense and filmy), in which they hide from attacks by predators.
Ornithoptera cresus
This butterfly is named after the last known king of Lydia - Croesus. It lives on the islands of Indonesia.
The wingspan of the beauty reaches 16–19 cm, and their design is incredibly beautiful: there are black inserts on the yellowish-orange surface; if the light falls on them at an angle, the wings seem to glow with a greenish-yellow hue.
Birdwing "Goliath"
This butterfly is one of the largest in the world - its wings can open up to 22 cm in length. The bright beauty lives in the mountainous terrain of the Moluccas archipelago, as well as on the coast of New Guinea. It is capable of climbing mountains to heights of up to 2200 m above sea level.
The butterfly belongs to the family of Swallowtails , the color of its wings consists of several shades of black, yellow and green, this applies to males, while females have brownish wings, with spots of a light shade. To date, 7 subspecies of the Goliath butterfly have been studied.
The largest butterflies in the world
Fluttering flowers - butterflies rightfully deserve this poetic name. Intricate patterns on the thinnest wings, pleasing to the eye combinations of bright colors - nature has once again shown extraordinary design skills by creating such marvelous creatures.
The butterfly is one of the most mysterious creatures of nature. Such a wonderful transformation cannot be invented on purpose. From an unsightly larva emerges a real beauty with painted wings.
Today there are about 165,000 species of butterflies around the globe.
The curious world has prepared for you material about giant butterflies, the size of which amazes the imagination.
Tizania Agrippina
Moth. The largest butterfly in the world lives in Brazil and Peru. It is an endangered insect. Its wingspan is 30.8 centimeters. It is also called scoop agrippina.
Queen Alexandra's Ornithoptera or Queen Alexandra's Birdwing
Day butterfly. She received her name in honor of the wife of the British King Edward VII. The wingspan is up to 31 cm with a body length of about 8 cm. Such a creature can weigh up to 12 grams. The giant butterfly is found exclusively in the forests of the Oro province of Papua New Guinea. Unfortunately, the species is on the verge of extinction.
Peacock-eye "Hercules"
A moth from a monotypic genus (Coscinocera) in the peacock-eye family. One of the largest butterflies in the world, and the largest in Australia; The wingspan of females can reach 27 cm.
Peacock-eye "Atlas"
The butterfly received the name “atlas” from the ancient Greek mythical hero Atlas, or Atlas. He held the vault of heaven on his shoulders. Only a very large butterfly could receive this name. The wingspan of the atlas is up to 26 centimeters. Cultivated in India. Its caterpillars produce excellent silk.
Sailboat "Antimakh"
This is the largest diurnal butterfly in Africa. The wingspan is up to 24 cm. This butterfly lives in tropical rainforests from the west coast of Sierra Leone to Uganda. Despite its extensive habitat, this species is not numerous. The butterfly is considered rare because it flies exclusively in virgin rain forests, which are in danger of extinction due to massive deforestation. Unfortunately, it is very poisonous. Only three countries: Ghana, Ivory Coast and Zaire have taken measures to protect the antimach.
Birdwing "Goliath"
Large day butterfly of the Swallowtail family. The wingspan of males is up to 20 cm, females up to 22 cm. The color of males consists of 3 primary colors - green, yellow, black. The color of females is brown-brown, with light spots, the lower wings have a wide gray-yellow border.
It lives in the mountain tropical forests of the Moluccas archipelago, from Soram Island to Goodenow Island off the southeastern coast of New Guinea, at an altitude of up to 2300 m above sea level. There are currently 7 known subspecies of goliath.
Trogonoptera Trojana
A large daytime butterfly from the Swallowtail family. The specific name means “Trojan”, “originally from Troy”.
The wingspan is up to 19 cm. The female is slightly larger or the same size as the male. It lives only on the island of Palawan.
Ornithoptera cresus
Large day butterfly of the Swallowtail family. The species binomial name is given in honor of Croesus, the last king of Lydia in 560-546 BC. e. from the Mermnad family.
The wingspan is up to 19 cm. Males are characterized by an orange-yellow coloration of the wings, combined with black “inserts”. When illuminated from the side, the wings flash a greenish-yellow glow.
The discoverer of the butterfly, naturalist Alfred Wallace, recalled his first discovery of a male moose on the island of Bachai: “The beauty of this butterfly cannot be expressed in words and no one except a naturalist will understand the deep excitement that I experienced when I finally caught it. When I took her out of the net and spread her majestic wings, my heart began to beat, the blood rushed to my head, I was then closer to fainting than in those moments when I was in danger of death. All that day I had a headache: the excitement was so great...”
Saturnia Madagascar or Madagascar comet
This butterfly is also called the Moon moth - a luxurious nocturnal butterfly of the peacock-eye family. It is one of the world record holders for wing size.
This nocturnal beauty can only be seen in Madagascar. This species is endangered, so in Madagascar these magnificent butterflies are successfully bred on special farms.
Having given the butterfly such a bright appearance, Mother Nature saved on life support systems: peacock butterflies do not have a mouthparts or a digestive tract, so the Madagascar comet lives only 2-3 days from the reserves of nutrients accumulated by the caterpillar.
The wingspan is up to 18 cm. The wings are decorated with unusually long tails, sometimes reaching 20 cm. The tails often fall off after several flights.
The wings are bright yellow. On each wing there is one large brown “eye” with a black dot in the center. The tips of the wings have a brown-black spot.
Golden Birdwing or Troides
One of the largest diurnal butterflies in South Asia. Its wingspan is about 16 cm. Thanks to its size and flight style, it got its name - Birdwing. Indeed, the flight of Troides is more like the flight of a bird than the fluttering of a butterfly. Its golden-yellow, translucent and pearlescent hind wings shine like the Sun and fill the atmosphere with the energy of light and joy. And this energy is really noticeable when you hold this beautiful butterfly on your hand, because it is not for nothing that among Asian peoples the Golden Birdwing is considered a symbol of financial well-being!
The Troides butterfly is a rather rare species and has long been listed in the Red Book. In the wild, in the homeland of the Troides butterfly (Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia), it is very difficult to see this golden-winged flyer, because Troides primarily live deep in tropical forests.
Peacock-eye Pear
This butterfly is also called the large night peacock eye, or Saturnia pear - a butterfly from the Peacock-eye family. The largest moth in terms of wingspan in Europe and Russia.
The wingspan is up to 15 cm. Females are larger than males. On the upper side of both pairs of wings there is one large eye with a black center and a brown rim around it. There is also a white border and a reddish ring around the eye. There is a light stripe along the edge of the wings, followed by a black stripe, closer to the base of the wing, interrupted only at the top of the front wings.
It is found in Southern and Central Europe, to the southwestern part of Russia, in the Caucasus, Asia Minor and in Iran, Crimea.
Landscapes with a large number of shrubs and trees, forest edges, parks, gardens, fruit plantations.
Ornithoptera Chimera
The wingspan is up to 15 cm. This butterfly flies very well, making extraordinary turns in the air, gliding and diving in search of nectar. Pollinates hibiscus.
The ornithopter chimera is widespread on the islands of New Guinea and Java in tropical rainforests at an altitude of 1200-1800 m above sea level.
Maak's Sailboat or Mak's Tailboat
A significant part of the black forewing of the male shimmers with a green dotted coating, which, closer to the edge, thickens into a sparse emerald-blue border. The area free from green coating shines with magical black silk: it is covered with the finest and most delicate fragrant black hairs - androconia. The hind wings with a wavy edge and long tails shine with an iridescent blue-green pattern.
The wingspan of the female reaches 13.5 cm.
The green dotted coating evenly covers the entire dark brown forewing of the female. The pattern of its hind wings is the same as that of the male, but its shine is muted, and in the marginal wavy border, along with green-blue, red-violet shades also appear. Females are much more variable than males. Among them it is difficult to find two identical butterflies.
This largest daytime butterfly in Russia surpasses many of its tropical relatives in its beauty. It’s hard to believe that the distribution area of this wonderful sailboat extends to 54° north latitude, where Tynda and northern Sakhalin are located. The Maaka tail-bearer lives in the Middle Amur region, Primorye, North Korea, Manchuria, and the Kuril Islands. In these places, butterflies are often found in broad-leaved and mixed forests, less often in spruce-fir forests. They also fly into taiga villages. During the period when subalpine plants bloom, butterflies rise into the mountains up to 2000 m above sea level: looking for food, they fly around treeless peaks in a circle.
Urania madagascarica
The wingspan is 10.5 cm. This species of butterfly is characteristic only of Madagascar. Flies during the day and feeds on flower nectar. Butterflies can be seen all year round, with their numbers increasing especially from May to July. Her wings, despite the apparent lack of color at the tips, play with the various colors of the rainbow.
Sailboat "Antimakh"
Antimachus is one of the largest butterflies found on the continent of Africa, from Uganda to Sierra Leone. According to researchers, its wings open up to 24 cm.
The wings of Antimachus are bright, slightly reminiscent of the color of the skin of a leopard; the patterns that decorate them vary, invariably creating unusual patterns. Despite its beauty and size, this butterfly is poisonous.
This species is not very numerous; butterflies are gradually becoming a rare phenomenon, which is affected by the active deforestation of virgin forests.
Peacock-eye "Atlas"
This butterfly was named after a hero from Ancient Greece who, according to legend, held the entire sky on his shoulders. The wingspan of this giant can reach 26 cm, and these species are found in Southeast Asia.
The beauty flies actively at night, feeding on the foliage of bushes or trees. At dusk, in the morning or as evening falls, Atlas is especially active, for which he is nicknamed the Prince of Darkness.
Peacock-eye Atlas, photo on hand
The Moscow Zoo also breeds the Peacock-Eyes - there you can admire its beauty to your heart's content. In particular, on the insect's wings, which are decorated with shades of yellow, pink and red. At the corners of the butterfly's hind wings there are transparent windows, and the front wings resemble the head of a snake in their shape, which scares away predators who encroach on their lives. The peacock eye, like some other individuals, has no mouth, so during its life (about 2 weeks), it lives only on the reserves accumulated during its life as a caterpillar. Did you know that you can breed butterflies at home? Read more about the home butterfly farm.
Atlas is an incredibly useful butterfly; in Taiwan they have found use for the cocoons that remain after the caterpillars. Changes are stored in them and used as wallets. In India, farmers breed such butterflies to obtain fagar silk, which has qualitative differences from the products created by silkworms.
Males of the Atlas peacock-eye are able to find a female for mating several tens of kilometers away . Moreover, the mating process takes place over several hours. It is worth noting that the process of reproduction is key in the life of females; they die immediately after they create offspring.
Coloring to protect against predators
The protective pigmentation of moths has two types of colors:
- Patronizing (cryptic) - helps butterflies to merge with the surrounding space. For example, a moth can completely blend in with the needles on a spruce tree or the leaves on a tree. Other subspecies may have the appearance of tree knots, freezing on a branch at the moment of danger, pretending to be the smallest branches (this is what moths and ribbon moths do).
- Warning (repellent) - in itself attracts the attention of predators, but draws their attention to the fact that the individual has protective means in its arsenal (unpleasant taste, caustic secretion of the glands, the presence of burning hairs on the surface).
The ability of moths to camouflage themselves when danger approaches is admirable. Some blend in with granite rocks, others take on the appearance of bird droppings, and others take on the appearance of bark, flowers or foliage.
Ribbon flies are distinguished by their color, which is visible during flight on their outstretched hind wings. However, this species is completely invisible at rest, if the butterfly folds its wings, the pattern on its back resembles foliage or tree bark.
The wings of night beauties are often decorated with a pattern in the form of wide open eyes. This helps keep predators at a distance.
Eye pattern on wings
Peacock-eye Hercules
This representative of the Lepidoptera family also received its name in honor of the hero of Ancient Greece - Hercules. The Hercules peacock-eye is a real giant; it is capable of spreading its own wings (with an area of 263 square centimeters) over a distance of 27 cm, therefore it is considered the largest butterfly on the Australian continent.
Hercules is distinguished by unusually shaped wings, on which you can see a disc-shaped spot. These insects lead a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle.
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing
This butterfly is distinguished not only by its incredible name, but also by its size. It is considered the largest of the daytime individuals and all thanks to its wings, the span of which can exceed 30 cm.
Birdwing lives in the tropics of New Guinea. It is protected by the state, which strictly ensures that the insect is not exported outside the country.
Nutrition
This moth's favorite treat is flower nectar. How he gets it was mentioned a little higher. It is worth adding that this is not at all easy to do. Such stunts are considered aerobatics.
Hawkmoth collecting nectar from a flower
In order to get the honey that butterflies love, they have to fly over the hive and pretend that they are bees. A funny and interesting show. It is not difficult for a hawk moth to use its proboscis to pierce a honeycomb and feast on honey from it.
Tizania Agrippina
Agrippina is perhaps one of the largest butterflies in the world; experts also call it the moth. Tizania flies only at night, and it lives in Brazil and Peru, preferring tropical rainforests. Sometimes, when migrating, it can reach Mexico and the southern part of the United States.
The moth is difficult to fit in the palm of an adult man; the wingspan of some individuals reaches 31 cm. The butterfly feeds on bush leaves, it is not poisonous and is carefully protected by the state, because it is on the verge of extinction.
Tizania agrippina, large photo
As for Tizania's appearance, she stands out for her wings with wavy edges, the upper part of which is decorated with white and brown fringe and stripes of gray and brown colors. The lower part of the body has a rich brown tint, matte or glossy. Moreover, different individuals may differ in their shades; some will have a predominant color of snow-white, while others will have a predominant color of brown.
Almost all species of large butterflies, both diurnal and nocturnal, are now considered endangered. In their protection, numerous conventions and laws have been adopted that protect endangered populations and preserve them for future descendants.
Benefits and harms
One interesting sign is associated with moths: if a representative of this type of insect flies into a house, this promises its owners a lot of pleasant things, in the form of good luck and prosperity.
Moths, which have a mouthpart with a soft proboscis that cannot pierce tissues of plant and animal origin, do not cause any harm to humans. In addition, they bring a lot of benefits. They pollinate a variety of plant crops by feeding on pollen . For example, yucca can only be pollinated by yucca butterflies, whose ovules cannot be fertilized without an external pollinator. These butterflies fashion a ball of pollen, which is placed on the pistil of a plant.
The behavior of moths is quite complex, but it is precisely this that ensures the reproduction of certain types of crops.
However, these beautiful moths can not only bring benefits, but also some harm. The caterpillars of these individuals are quite voracious, due to which the following damage is caused:
- damage to foliage, roots and stems;
- eating food;
- damage to fibers and materials.
The larvae of night moths can greatly harm agriculture. For example, keratophagous moths lay their eggs on the fur and hair of domestic animals. Occasionally they use these raw materials to build their own cocoons.
Known harm is caused by:
- grain moth;
- Indian meal moth;
- barley moth;
- mill fire.
These insects are capable of destroying grain stored in warehouses. These types of butterflies are distributed throughout the world, which forces farmers to constantly use insecticides to protect their farms from extermination.
The caterpillars, a type of leaf miner or miner, feed on plant elements found in the central part of the foliage. In order to get to them, the caterpillars gnaw through long passages and cavities located under the epidermis. Other larvae are capable of making real miniature tunnels inside the root system, branches and trunks of trees. In such a secluded place they live for quite a long time, reliably hidden both from predators who encroach on them and from the person trying to exterminate them.
The most noticeable damage caused by moth caterpillars is the destruction of leaf cover. Hungry larvae sometimes become a real disaster; they are capable of completely denuding fields, removing foliage from plants in vegetable gardens, and even completely changing the appearance of green spaces.
