Peacock-eye atlas description. Peacock-eyed atlas - the largest night butterfly

29.06.2020

Today's topic of the article is the most big butterfly. Butterflies belong to the order of insects with complete metamorphosis. On my own life path they go through three stages: egg, larva (aka caterpillar) and adult. Representatives of this order are characterized by a dense cover of chitinous scales on the wings. Butterflies have a wide variety of wing shapes and spans (ranging from 2 mm to over 30 cm). Today, special attention will be paid to the largest representative of butterflies, and the criterion by which the largest butterfly will be determined will be the length of the wingspan.

Rating "The Biggest Butterfly". Top 5

1. AGRIPPINA SCOOP IS THE BIGGEST BUTTERFLY IN THE WORLD

The first place in the rating is occupied by the scoop of agrippina (it has another name - tizania agrippina. This moth is rightfully considered the largest, since its wingspan reaches 30 cm. The scoop of agrippina has a white and gray background of wings, on which there is a dark pattern. Shades of wings different individuals may differ.The largest butterfly lives in the Central and South America. The tropical rainforests of Brazil, Peru, Venezuela and other Latin American countries are considered to be a typical habitat for the agrippina scoop.

The second place in the "Largest Butterfly" rating with a wingspan of 27 cm is occupied by Queen Alexandra's birdwing. This diurnal butterfly lives in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. The length of the abdomen of this large and beautiful butterfly can reach 8 cm, and the weight is 12 grams. Butterfly larvae are 12 cm long and 3 cm thick. The wings and abdomen of Queen Alexandra's birdwing are dark brown with white and cream or yellow ornamentation. Currently, this one of the largest butterflies in the world is prohibited from being caught and sold, since the number of this species is small.

3. PEACO-EYE HERCULES - NIGHT BUTTERFLY OF THE PEACO-EYE FAMILY

Next ... Hercules peacock-eye is a night butterfly of the peacock-eye family. It lives in the tropical forests of Australia and the islands of New Guinea. The wingspan of female butterflies can reach 27 cm. The area of its wings - the largest in butterflies - reaches 262 cm2.

Antimachus is a large diurnal butterfly from the Sailboat family. The wingspan of this butterfly, named after the hero of Greek mythology, reaches 25 cm. Females are larger than males. The Antimachus sailboat lives in the humid forests of Africa. Females most often live in the tops of trees. This one of the largest butterflies has a red-yellow, orange and even ocher background of wings, on which dark brown spots form a pattern.

5. ATTACUS ATLAS - BUTTERFLY OF THE PEACOCK EYE FAMILY

Attacus atlas is a butterfly of the Peacock-eye family. It lives in tropical and subtropical forests of China, Thailand, Indonesia. The wingspan of this large butterfly can reach 24 cm. In India, Attacus atlas caterpillars are cultivated and used to produce silk.

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 the 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 (lat. Thysania agrippina), or agrippina scoop, lives in the tropical rainforests of South and Central America. The largest representative of this species known to science was 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 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.

Queen Alexandra's birdwing: male above, female below

Peacock-eye hercules

Peacock-eye Hercules, male

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 wing shapes.

Peacock-eye atlas

Another giant butterfly from the peacock-eye family is the peacock-eye atlas (lat. Attacus atlas). They live in the tropical and subtropical forests of 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 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 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

Troides hippolytus: male above, female below

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

Ornithoptera croesus, male

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 that lives exclusively in the humid forests of Madagascar. The Madagascar comet (lat. Argema mittrei) is so named for the unusual shape of the 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.

This giant butterfly is amazing in its beauty and size. It's called Peacock-eye Atlas(Attacus atlas). Its wingspan reaches 26 cm, and the wing area is up to 400 square meters. see According to the last parameter, Atlas is considered the largest butterfly on the planet. It is found in the subtropics Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Thailand, South China, Malay Archipelago. The largest specimen was documented on the island Java- this female had a wingspan of 262 mm.

Painted Atlas in brown, bright red, yellow and pink shades. On each wing she has large transparent triangular "windows". The front wings have a bizarrely curved edge, resembling a snake's head in shape and color, which is what scares away many insectivorous animals. For this unusual feature in Hong Kong, the butterfly was nicknamed "A moth is the head of a snake."

In addition to size, the giant beauty has another unique feature - a completely atrophied mouth. During its short (1-2 weeks) life, it does not eat anything, but recycles fat reserves accumulated while still being a caterpillar.

Atlas caterpillars are also huge - up to 10 cm in length. Their appearance is quite unusual: light green in color, with large bluish processes all over the body, which are covered with a white waxy coating resembling powder.

Atlases are twilight. They are active in the late evening and early morning hours, for which they received another sonorous nickname - "Prince of Darkness".

The whole short life of these beautiful creatures is devoted exclusively to reproduction. On the first evening after leaving the pupa, the male goes in search of a female. The female, emerging from the pupa, sits motionless in anticipation of the male, and is able to wait for him in this way for several days. It attracts males with powerful pheromones, the smell of which the male is able to smell with the help of his large feathery antennae at a distance of several kilometers! Mating lasts several hours. The next evening after mating, the female begins laying eggs. Egg laying continues for several nights, immediately after it is completed, the female dies.

Atlases are not only beautiful, but also "useful" butterflies. In India, they are bred on special farms to obtain lung silk, which differs from silkworm silk in wooliness, strength and extraordinary durability. And in Taiwan, wallets are made from huge strong cocoons of this butterfly.

To admire Peacock-Eyed Atlas You don't have to go to Asia. She is bred in Moscow zoo.

Photographer Sandesh Kadur, while traveling in the Himalayas, photographed the largest moth in the world. The wingspan of this moth is 25 centimeters. When the photographer first saw him, he was a little scared. The open wings of a butterfly with a pattern on them gave the impression of a large, vicious muzzle of a snake. It is not for nothing that Atlas is called so in China - "butterfly with a snake's head."

According to experts, this is a kind of protection from enemies, and the butterfly itself is completely harmless and not poisonous. She doesn't even have a mouth. For all my short life, which lasts only two weeks from the moment the chrysalis turns into a butterfly, this beautiful creature has only one goal - to lay as many eggs as possible. Atlases do not drink or eat. They live off the nutrients that they received at the caterpillar stage.

If you look at butterflies in middle lane Russia, they rarely grow larger than Walnut. And everyone has long been accustomed to this kind of winged decorations of fields and meadows.

However, there are such types of butterflies that surpass even the rather large birds familiar to Russians in size. Such fluttering persons live only in the tropics. What is now the largest butterfly in the world can not be unequivocally said. Several species compete for the prestigious title at once. And all because the wings of butterflies can be evaluated in different ways - by area or by maximum span. By the way, the largest butterflies in the world also claim the status of the most beautiful butterflies on the planet.

Tizania agrippina

One of the largest butterflies in the world is Tizania agrippina. It is also called the scoop agrippina. The wingspan of this person can be 30.8 centimeters. It was such a specimen that was caught and measured in 1934 in Africa. And this is by far the largest representative of the species Tizania agrippina. However, this species is inferior in terms of wingspan to the Peacock-eyed Atlas, which also fights for the title of "the largest butterfly in the world."

The largest butterfly in the world lives mainly in Mexico, South and Central America. They emigrated there from more southern regions. And the individual feeds on cassia leaves - this is a shrub that grows to a meter height. Tizania agrippina is difficult to see during the day, it is exclusively nocturnal. Moreover, if such a record holder butterfly came into the field of view of a person, then it is better to admire it from afar. And not because it is poisonous or can cause some harm, the Scoop is on the verge of extinction.

Outwardly, Tizania is very similar to a huge beautiful moth. Both pairs of butterfly wings are wavy at the edges. The upper part of the wings and body may be white with multiple wavy brown, gray and brown stripes. Different individuals of this species may have different colors. In some, the brown pattern is more pronounced than in others and dominates the overall white background. The lower body of the butterfly is usually dark brown with whitish spots, but can also be matte or give off a metallic sheen.

Koscinoscere hercules

Another contender for the title of "The Biggest Butterfly in the World" is Koscinoscere Hercules. It's also quite a large one. Its size can reach up to 28 centimeters, such dimensions are reached mainly by females, while males are not so impressive. You can distinguish a male from a female not only by wingspan, but also by appearance. The difference is simple: very long spurs can be seen on males.

Incredibly large and beautiful butterflies Koscinoscere hercules can be found in Australia and New Guinea. Like the previous record holders, these winged ones are nocturnal, so it is better to go out after sunset for spectacles in search of unprecedented butterflies. By the way, not only the Koscinoscere themselves are impressive with their dimensions, but also their caterpillars. They have impressive dimensions, grow up to 16-17 centimeters in length.

Peacock-eye Atlas

Another participant in the ranking of the largest butterflies in the world. And again with a rather original name. Peacock-eye Atlas can reach a size of 26 centimeters. The largest individual that happened to be found and measured lived on the Indonesian island of Java. The size of the butterfly was 26.2 centimeters. Well, in general, this species flies through China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, the Philippines and New Guinea.

It is worth noting that Atlas Peacock-eye females are much larger than males. Individuals feed on the leaves of shrubs and trees. And how the previous champions are nocturnal. They are especially active at dusk, early in the morning and late in the evening, for which they received the nickname "Prince of Darkness". And it is best to observe the largest butterflies in the world not with your own eyes, but in the photo. However, the inhabitants of Russia can look at the beauty without leaving the country - Peacock-eyed Atlas is bred in the Moscow Zoo.

By the way, the view of Peacock-eye Atlas is quite interesting in itself. During mating periods, the male can detect the female at a distance of several kilometers. And the mating itself lasts several hours without interruption. Immediately after emerging from the pupa, both the male and the female are ready to breed. Peacock-eyes are unusually patient, females can wait for their male for several hours, while sitting motionless in one place, while the male will look for her at this time. And it is this process, that is, reproduction, that is the meaning of the life of the largest butterfly in the world. By the way, the life of the female is rather short. She dies immediately after laying offspring.

By the way, in Taiwan, Peacock-Eyes, without knowing it, benefit a person. People use caterpillar cocoons as wallets.

The largest butterfly in the world is striking in its beauty. The winged individual can be painted in bright red, yellow, pink and brown shades. And on each wing of a butterfly there are large triangular transparent "windows". The front wings have a rather bizarre curved edge, which resembles a snake's head in shape and color. It is with this that the Peacock-eye scares off insectivorous animals. By the way, in Hong Kong, for this unusual feature, Atlas was nicknamed "Moth - the head of a snake."

In addition to its size, Peacock-eye has another feature - its mouth is completely atrophied. Throughout its short life (only 1-2 weeks), the butterfly does not eat anything, but processes all the fat reserves that it accumulated in the caterpillar state.

By the way, the caterpillars of the giant butterfly are also huge - they grow up to 10 centimeters in length. AND appearance they are original - they are light green in color with large blue processes all over the body, which are covered with a waxy white coating (similar to powder).

Peacock-eyed Atlas is not only a beautiful, but also a useful butterfly. In India, it is bred on special farms, where they get faghar silk. It differs from the silkworm product in its wooliness, strength and durability.
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Atlas is a giant butterfly that contests the title of the world's largest moth from the agripinna scoop. Atlas belongs to the peacock-eye family, whose representatives are generally large in size. The butterfly got its name in honor of the hero of ancient Greek mythology Atlas (better known to us under the name of Atlanta). According to legend, Atlas (Atlas) held the vault of heaven on his shoulders, thus the name of this butterfly emphasizes its gigantic size.

Male Atlas (Attacus atlas).

The wingspan of the Atlas is 25o mm, the largest, officially registered specimen, had a wingspan of 262 mm, at the same time, the unofficial record of this species is already 289 mm! In males of the atlas, the front wings are wider than the hind wings, so their body shape is rather triangular, the females have the front and rear wings of about the same size, so their body shape fits into a square. Thus, the females of this butterfly are larger than males, they hold the world record for the largest wing area among butterflies - 400 cm²!

The atlas, sitting on the hands of a person, gives a visual representation of its size.

The body itself of the atlas is much shorter than the wings, but thick and voluminous, red-brown in color. The color of the wings in males and females is the same: the general background is chestnut-red - darker in the center and brighter at the edges, the edges of the wings are bordered by thin black and light brown stripes. Also in the pattern there are yellow and black elements. Like all peacock-eyes, the atlas has an eye on each wing, but it is relatively weakly visible. The fact is that the eyes are not pigmented, but translucent, as if covered with a film. The shape of the eyes is also unusual - almost triangular.

Underside of satin wings.

The atlas lives in the countries of Southeast Asia: South China, Thailand, Indonesia, the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. This butterfly inhabits tropical and subtropical forests. Atlas females are practically immobile; all their short life they are near the place of pupation. Males, on the contrary, flutter in search of females and try to settle down in windy places where it is easier for them to catch the scent of a female. Adults do not feed and live off the fat reserves accumulated at the caterpillar stage, so the life span of the adult (adult form) of the atlas is only 1-2 weeks. Caterpillars feed on the leaves of various fruit plants - cinnamon (cinnamon tree), rambutan, hornbeam, lagerstromia, ardisia, apple tree, willow, clerodendrum and various citrus fruits.

Atlas male on the bark of a tree.

During the breeding season, females emit odorous substances - pheromones, imperceptible to humans, but males are able to catch their negligible concentration at a distance of 2.5 km. Females lay red-brown eggs (25-3 mm in diameter) on reverse side leaves. After 1-2 weeks, caterpillars appear from them, the bodies of which have outgrowths. At first, the body of the caterpillar is black, and the outgrowths are light yellow, then, as they grow older and increase in size, the light yellow color becomes predominant, and then the caterpillar acquires a bluish-green color, and the outgrowths become dusty, as if mealy. Before pupation, she weaves a cocoon of silky threads, the maximum length of the caterpillar is 11.5 cm. The chrysalis is located on tree branches in a suspended state.

Atlas caterpillar shortly before pupation.

In the natural environment, atlases have few enemies, but due to their low fecundity, they are nowhere a mass species. Like all large animals, these butterflies are vulnerable and hardly restore their numbers in those places where they were once destroyed. However, people destroy these butterflies for economic purposes. In India, their cocoons are sometimes used to make thread. Unlike silkworm threads, satin threads are coarser and browner, and not white color, they produce more durable and woolly, the so-called loon silk. In Taiwan, whole atlas cocoons are cut open and used as purses after the chrysalis is removed. Atlases are not listed in the Red Book, but they need protection, because they have no equal among all butterflies.

Atlas defensive posture. At the moment of danger, the butterfly opens its wings and shows bright spots - such a war paint can scare a predator.