The largest butterfly in the world is the peacock-eye atlas. The biggest butterfly in the world

29.06.2020

Butterfly Peacock-eye Atlas
Atlas is one of the largest (giant) butterflies. Belongs to the peacock-eye family, whose gigantic size will impress anyone.
The butterfly got its name "atlas" from the ancient Greek mythical hero Atlanta, or Atlas. He held the vault of heaven on his shoulders. Only a very large butterfly could get this name in its name.
The wingspan of the Atlas is up to 25 centimeters. In males, the anterior wings are somewhat larger than the hind wings. The females are the same size. This causes a sexual difference: males have a shape similar to a triangle, females - to a square.
However, females are larger than males. Atlas ladies have a wingspan of up to 40 centimeters!
Butterfly bodies are shorter than wings. It is very voluminous, thick and red- Brown color. The coloration of the wings is the same in both males and females. The general tone is from chestnut to red, with a noticeable darkening in the center. Along the edges - a black border and light brown stripes.
Justifying its belonging to the peacock-eyes - each wing has a "peephole". It has little pigmentation and looks more like a triangle.
Atlas habitats are in Thailand, South China, Indonesia. Also, these butterflies are found in the foothills of the Himalayas. However, atlas is more common in tropical and subtropical forests.
Females do not lead a very "saturated" life. They move little and are close to the place of their pupation. They sit right there until they die.
Males are masters of aerobatics. They try to be in flight all the time, and in places with strong wind. So it is easier and easier for them to smell the females and find a mate for mating.
The most amazing thing is that adult butterflies do not eat anything! They live off the reserves accumulated during the "caterpillar" age. That is why the life of an adult butterfly (imago) is no more than 2 weeks.
Atlas caterpillars feed only on plant foods.
During mating and reproduction, females emit odorous substances (pheromones). Their concentration is so negligible that it is elusive to any living creature, except for males of their own species, and at a distance of up to 3 km from the female herself.
After mating, the female lays eggs on inner surface leaves. Egg diameter 25-30 mm. After about 2 weeks, caterpillars appear from them, whose goal is to eat as much energy reserves as possible.
During pupation, the caterpillar weaves a cocoon. Its size can exceed 11 centimeters in length. The cocoon is suspended to reduce the risk of being eaten.
In nature, the atlas has no enemies. But they reproduce very slowly, so any damage to the population requires a lot of time to recover.
Man destroyed these butterflies because of the cocoons. From the threads, people made loon silk, which is more durable than silk from silkworm threads.
Atlases, for some unknown reason, are still not listed in the World Red Book. However, their population is in dire need of protection.
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.

Peacock-eye atlas (Attacus atlas) is found in Southeast Asia, Southern China, Thailand, Borneo and Indonesia. Prefers tropical and subtropical forests.
Distinguishing properties
This is the largest butterfly in the world - its wingspan is 26 cm, and their average surface area is 400 cm2. The body of a butterfly is small compared to its wings. Females are larger than males.
The male can be distinguished by the presence of fluffy antennae. On the brownish-yellow wings of a butterfly, patterns of white triangles, red and black stripes are visible. In Hong Kong, this species is called the snake-headed butterfly - the edges of the upper wings bent down resemble two snake heads. This is an example of a protective coloration - predators confuse an insect with a snake.
The inhabitants of the island of Taiwan have come up with a very original use for the empty cocoons of the peacock-eye atlas. They use them as wallets.
Lifestyle and reproduction
The life of these large butterflies consists of four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult.
The imago of the peacock-eye does not feed, since its mouth is atrophied. It exists at the expense of stocks accumulated at the larval stage.
The danger to the species is represented by poachers-collectors.
At the end of the female's abdomen are special glands that secrete pheromones that attract males. After mating, the female lays eggs 2.5 mm in diameter, attaching them to inside sheet. After about two weeks, caterpillars appear. At first, they feed on the leaves of various plants. When the caterpillar reaches 115 mm in length, the pupation stage begins. The cocoon seems simply huge, its mass sometimes reaches 12 g.
This is interesting
In India, the peacock-eye atlas is specially bred. The special interest in insects is explained by the fact that the caterpillars of this species secrete threads, like the well-known silkworm (Bombyx mori). True, they have a slightly different chemical composition and differ in appearance - dark brown and woolly to the touch in a peacock eye versus long and thin in a silkworm, and it’s more correct to call them not silk, but faghara. But in terms of mechanical properties, the product is in no way inferior to what is obtained from the “manufacturer” already familiar to everyone.

Attacus Atlas - giant moth, wingspan exceeds 25 cm, one of the largest in the world. The butterfly has an unusual pattern: on the main velvety-brown background there are pink stains and transparent triangular windows. The female and male differ markedly in size and shape of the wings. The male is smaller (span 18-20 cm) and the tips of the upper wings are sharpened, the female has larger rounded wings and a span of 24-26 cm.

Also, the male has wider and larger antennae than the female. Even in the pupal stage, if you look closely, the difference in antenna size is clearly visible and this is one of the few species in which you can distinguish the female from the male at the pupal stage. The genus Attacus has a range from East India to New Guinea. The diet of atlas caterpillars is quite large, so the full cycle of the butterfly is quite easy to reproduce at home. True caterpillars in the last stages of development are incredibly voracious and can eat 100 times their weight in a day. The length of the caterpillars at the last stage reaches 10 cm.

In Attacus atlas collections, it is often found. Many specimens are bred from pupae on farms and therefore have retained their original beauty. In butterflies born in natural habitats, the wings are often damaged already in the first hours of flight.

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.

Peacock-eyed atlas (lat. Attacus atlas), also known as the Prince of Darkness, is one of the largest butterflies in the world. She has many subspecies, and the largest of them is called the Emperor.

Spreading

The habitat of the Prince of Darkness is located in subtropical and tropical forests growing in southern China, Thailand, Indonesia and the island of Java. He prefers to lead a nocturnal lifestyle, for which he received his name.

reproduction

The whole life of butterflies is intended solely for procreation. The female peacock-eye atlas is much larger than the males. Having been born, she begins to distribute pheromones, staying for several days waiting for the male.

From the first minutes of his life, the male is also looking for a partner. In this, he is helped by a long antennae that captures the aroma emitted by her. The gentleman can detect her whereabouts within a radius of several kilometers. The process of fertilization itself can last for several hours.

A day after mating, the female begins to lay eggs. This goes on for several nights in a row. Having fulfilled its parental duty, the butterfly immediately dies. Her oral apparatus is undeveloped. All the time she lives off the reserves that her caterpillar managed to make.

A fertilized female lays eggs on the lower part of the leaves of plants that serve as a food base for her larvae. Incubation period lasts from one to two weeks.

Thick caterpillars of a greenish tint, with long processes, are born. blue color and lightly powdered with wax. They grow up to 11 cm long.

In India, this type of butterfly is domesticated. Caterpillars are used to isolate silk threads. These threads are different from those produced by silkworms.

The silk thread of the peacock-eye caterpillar is brown, very strong and woolly.

A fabric woven from such a thread is called loafer silk and has increased strength. Enterprising Taiwanese adapted to use empty cocoons of peacock-eye as wallets.

Description

The peacock-eyed atlas has an unusual wing shape resembling a snake's head. Obviously, nature took care of its protection from natural enemies. The color of the butterfly is very pretty. In her outfit there are bright red, yellow, chocolate and pinkish shades.

All wings have one transparent window. The wingspan of a butterfly reaches 26 cm, and their area is 400 square meters. cm.

Fluttering flowers - this is the poetic name of the butterfly rightfully deserved. Intricate patterns on the thinnest wings, eye-pleasing combinations of bright colors - nature once again showed outstanding design skills, creating such marvelous creatures.

Butterfly is one of the most mysterious creatures of nature. Such a wonderful transformation is not deliberately invented. A real beauty with painted wings emerges from an unsightly larva.

Today on the globe there are about 165,000 species of butterflies.

The curious world has prepared for you material about giant butterflies, the size of which is amazing.

1. Tizania Agrippina

Moth. The largest butterfly in the world lives in Brazil and Peru. It belongs to the endangered insects. Its wingspan is 30.8 centimeters. It is also called the scoop agrippina.

2. Queen Alexandra Ornithopter or Queen Alexandra 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 the state of Papua New Guinea. Unfortunately, the species is on the verge of extinction.

3. Peacock-eye "Hercules"

Night 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.

4. Peacock-eye "Atlas"

The butterfly got its name "atlas" from the ancient Greek mythical hero Atlanta, or Atlas. He held the vault of heaven on his shoulders. Only a very large butterfly could get this name in its name. The wingspan of the Atlas is up to 26 centimeters. Cultivated in India. Its caterpillars produce excellent silk.

5. Sailboat "Antimach"

It is the largest diurnal butterfly in Africa. Wingspan up to 24 cm. This butterfly lives in tropical rainforests from the western coast of Sierra Leone to Uganda. Despite the extensive habitat, this species is not numerous. The butterfly is considered rare because it flies exclusively in virgin rainforests, which are endangered due to massive logging. Unfortunately, it is very poisonous. Only three countries: Ghana, Ivory Coast and Zaire have taken measures to protect the antimach.

6. Birdwing "Goliath"

Large diurnal butterfly of the Sailfish 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 with a gray-yellow wide border.

It lives in the mountainous tropical forests of the Moluccas archipelago, from Ssoram Island to Gudenow Island off the southeast coast of New Guinea, at an altitude of up to 2300 m above sea level. Currently, 7 subspecies of goliath are known.

7. Trogonoptera Trojan

A large diurnal butterfly from the Sailfish family. The specific name means "Trojan", "originally from Troy".

Wingspan up to 19 cm. The female is slightly larger or the same size as the male. Lives only on the island of Palawan.

8. Ornithoptera Croesus

Large diurnal butterfly of the Sailfish family. The specific binomial name is given in honor of Croesus, the last king of Lydia in 560-546 BC. e. from the genus Mermnad.

Wingspan up to 19 cm. Males are characterized by an orange-yellow wing color, combined with black "inserts". When illuminated from the side, the wings flare with a greenish-yellow glow.

Butterfly discoverer naturalist Alfred Wallace recalled his first find of a male croesus on the island of Bachai: “The beauty of this butterfly cannot be expressed in words, and no one but 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, blood rushed to my head, I was then closer to fainting than in those moments when I was threatened with death. All that day I had a headache: so great was the excitement ... "

9. Saturnia Madagascar or Madagascar Comet

This butterfly is also called Lunar moth - a luxurious night butterfly of the family peacock-eye. It is one of the world record holders for the size of the wings.

This beauty of the night can only be seen in Madagascar. This species is endangered, therefore, 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-eye butterflies do not have a mouth apparatus and a digestive tract, so the Madagascar comet lives only 2-3 days due to the nutrient reserves 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 color of the wings is bright yellow. Each wing has one large brown eye with a black dot in the center. Wing apices with brown-black spot.

10. Golden Birdwing or Troides

One of the largest diurnal butterflies in South Asia. Its wingspan is about 16 cm. Due to its size and manner of flight, it got its name - Birdwing. Indeed, the flight of Troydes is more like the flight of a bird than the fluttering of a butterfly. Its golden yellow, translucent and mother-of-pearl hind wings shine like the sun and fill the atmosphere with the energy of light and joy. And this energy is really palpable when you hold this beautiful butterfly on your hand, because it is not for nothing that the Asian peoples consider the Golden Birdwing to be a symbol of financial well-being!

Butterfly Troides is pretty a rare species and has long been listed in the Red Book. In the wild, in the homeland of the Troides butterfly (Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia), this golden-winged flyer is very difficult to see, because. Troides mainly live in the depths of tropical forests.

11. Peacock-eye Pear

This butterfly is also called the large nocturnal peacock eye, or pear saturnia - a butterfly from the Peacock-eye family. The largest night butterfly in Europe and Russia in terms of wingspan.

Wingspan 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 middle and a brown rim around. Around the eye there is also a white border and a reddish ring. Along the edge of the wings there is a light stripe, behind it, closer to the base of the wing - a black one, interrupted only at the top of the forewings.

It is found in southern and central Europe, to the southwestern part of Russia, in the Caucasus, in Asia Minor and in Iran, Crimea.

Landscapes with a large number of shrubs and trees, forest edges, parks, gardens, orchards.

12. Ornithopter Chimera

Wingspan 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.

13. Maak's Sailboat or Mac's Tail Bearer

A significant part of the black front wing of the male shimmers with a green dotted coating, which thickens closer to the edge into a rarefied emerald-blue border. The area free from green sputtering shines with magical black silk: it is covered with the finest and most delicate fragrant black hairs - androconia. Hindwings with a wavy edge and long tails shine, iridescent, with a blue-green ornament.

The wingspan of the female reaches 13.5 cm.

A green dotted coating evenly covers the entire dark brown front wing of the female. The nature of the pattern of its hind wings is the same as that of the male, but its luster is muted, and red-violet hues appear in the marginal wavy border along with green-blue. Females are much more variable than males. It is difficult to find two identical butterflies among them.

This largest diurnal butterfly in Russia surpasses many tropical relatives in its beauty. It is hard to believe that the distribution area of this wonderful sailboat extends to 54 ° north latitude, where Tynda and the north of Sakhalin are located. Tail-bearer Maaka lives in the Middle Amur region, Primorye, North Korea, Manchuria, on Kuril Islands. In these places, butterflies are often found in broad-leaved and mixed forests, less often in spruce-fir. They also fly into taiga settlements. During the period when subalpine plants bloom, butterflies rise to mountains up to 2000 m above sea level: looking for food, they fly around treeless peaks in a circle.

14. Urania Madagascar

Wingspan 10.5 cm. This type of butterfly is typical only for Madagascar. Flies during the day, feeds on flower nectar. Butterflies can be seen all year round especially their number increases from May to July. Her wings, despite the apparent lack of color at the ends, play different colors rainbows.