“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 large enough 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 different types 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 most big 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, Tizania Agrippina was caught by scientists 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. Moreover, females have the largest 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 environmental conditions natural habitat The butterfly Coscinocera hercules feeds on plants (at the caterpillar stage) such 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 night image life. As a result, to see it (taking into account the protective coloring) in tropical forest where she lives is almost impossible.

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 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.

Another interesting fact about these unusual insects is that they have a very limited range. 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.

PETLYAKOV ROMAN GOU SCHOOL NO. 163 CITY MOSCOW.2 CLASS.

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2nd GRADE.

PETLYAKOV ROMAN MAKSIMOVICH.

GOU secondary school No. 163

MOSCOW CITY.

Research on the topic of:

"Unusual insects."

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing.

In my research work I want to talk about unusual insect Queen Alexandra Ornithoptera butterfly (Ornithoptera alexandrae). Using the example of the history of these photographs, I want to outline Interesting Facts about this insect. The uniqueness of this species lies in its size, beauty, habitat and significance for flora and fauna.

For many years, Bernard d'Abrera photographed rare and unusual tropical butterflies for books and magazines. His albums of photographs of butterflies have become a valuable tool for scientists. In search of insects famous for their rare beauty or enormous size, the photographer traveled to his native Australia, the countries of South Asia, New Guinea and everywhere filmed, filmed, filmed...

In the richest collection of photographs of d'Abrera, one photograph was missing from the photograph of the largest butterfly in the world, Ornithoptera Queen Alexandra.

Going to the wilds of New Guinea, R "Abrera did not count too much on success. He knew that this butterfly was very rare, careful, that no one had ever been able to photograph it in nature. The photographer went through in his memory everything he had heard or read about its extraordinary nature .

Ornitaptera translated from ancient Greek means “bird wing”. Queen Alexandra's Birdwing or Queen Alexandra's Ornithoptera is the largest diurnal butterfly in the world and belongs to the swallowtail family. Females of Alexandra's birdwing are larger than males, the span of their rounded wings reaches 28 cm. The length of the abdomen is 8 cm, weight - up to 12 grams. The color of the wings and abdomen is dark brown with white, cream and yellow ornaments. Males are smaller than females, their wingspan is up to 20 cm. Males are very different in appearance from females, their wings are narrower, colored blue and green colors. The butterfly development cycle lasts four months. The adult lives for three months. The caterpillars grow up to 12 cm in length and 3 cm in thickness. There are many different species of these unusual butterflies in the tropics, and all of them are distinguished by their impressive sizes: 15 - 18 centimeters in wingspan. For this they were called birdwings. But one day in the jungle of New Guinea they accidentally caught one specimen of a new, still unknown scientist of the species Ornithoptera. The new species was given the name Alexandra, in honor of the beautiful Queen of England, wife of King Edward VII of Great Britain. Indeed, this butterfly looked like a queen among bird wings - its wingspan reached 20 centimeters. The only specimen that fell into the hands of scientists turned out to be a male. But it is known that Ornithopter males are always much smaller than females. What kind of giant of the insect world must the female of this hitherto unseen butterfly be? They looked for her, climbed into the very depths of the jungle, asked local residents- and everything was unsuccessful.

Years passed. In 1906, insect collector A.S. Mick, a determined and cold-blooded man, wandered around New Guinea. In those years, few travelers dared to visit this uncharted land. Mick climbed into the very heart of New Guinea, where no European had ever set foot. One day he was sitting by a tent near a small river, putting in order the insects he had collected during the day, and suddenly he accidentally looked up. High, high in the gap between the peaks giant trees some bird flashed by. No, not a bird - an insect of unprecedented size. It was not for nothing that Mick was considered a decisive man: he quickly loaded the gun with the smallest shot, fired, and a huge butterfly, almost intact, fell at his feet. 28 centimeters in wingspan. Mick immediately realized that the butterfly he had shot was a hitherto unknown female of the legendary Ornithoptera Alexandra.

Over the years, scientific expeditions increasingly visited the New Guinea jungle. Gradually, we managed to collect information about the habitats of the queen butterfly. It turned out that Alexander's birdwing settles only in a few gorges along the rivers in the east of New Guinea, and even there it is never found in large numbers. Flowers called aristolochia, on the nectar of which it feeds, bloom high in the treetops, and the butterfly has no reason to descend, so it is very difficult to catch it.

Then scientists enlisted the help of local residents - the Papuans, and soon the most famous museums were enriched with specimens of the world's largest species of butterflies. If only there were museums! Queen Alexandra became interested in people who thought a pile of hundred dollar bills was much more beautiful than any of the most beautiful creatures of nature. Buying butterflies from the Papuans for pennies, they resold them for hundreds and thousands of pounds sterling to wealthy collectors of rarities. The living jewel appeared at auctions and in the shops of curiosities dealers in the cities of Europe, America, and Japan. In order not to waste energy on a dizzying hunt for butterflies, poachers have become adept at collecting pupae and caterpillars ready for pupation and hatching butterflies from them for sale. And why did they care that nature was about to lose one of its best decorations, that soon the greatest and most beautiful butterfly in the world would be remembered only by museum specimens faded with time?

The authorities took the Queen Alexandra birdwing under protection; the capture and export of giant butterflies was strictly prohibited. But the few surviving individuals were threatened with a new disaster - the destruction of forests. The eruption of Mount Lamington in 1951 destroyed about 250 square kilometers. km natural environment habitat of this species of butterflies, which is the main reason for their rare distribution. Alexandra caterpillars feed on the leaves of only one type of plant. This plant makes the eggs that this butterfly lays poisonous. The caterpillars that subsequently appear have a chance to avoid the fate of being eaten, since they have a very unpleasant taste for birds and many other predators.

The famous entomologist Richard Carver hastened to the aid of the queen of butterflies. With the greatest difficulty, having collected a small number of caterpillars and pupae, he delivered them to the most remote corners of the island, inaccessible to either lumberjacks, unceremonious tourists, or poachers - butterfly hunters. Of course, Aristolochia, a common food for caterpillars, grows in abundance in these parts. Where are these protected places How to get there is the secret of New Guinean zoologists.

All this was well known to Bernard d'Abrera, so he did not believe too much in luck. He did not believe too much, but did not lose hope. D'Abrera managed to find Aristolochia. Carefully examining each leaf, he spent a long time looking for caterpillars familiar from the descriptions and drawings, but they were nowhere to be found. Of course, there were no butterflies.

Then the photographer began asking local residents. But they either knew nothing about the bird-wing Alexander, or remained silent with a mysterious look. But the photographer felt that some of them knew something. He swore that he did not need Queen Alexandra herself, but a photograph of her, that he was a friend of nature and would keep it a secret where the butterfly lived, he asked, assured, insisted, convinced. And he convinced.

One morning, just before dawn, an unusual procession pulled into the forest: a photographer hung with equipment and his new friends. Shirts were wet from sweat, millions of mosquitoes and mosquitoes crawled into our eyes, ears, nostrils, got tangled in our hair, and monstrous three-centimeter ants fell from the leaves and bit painfully. And all this torment for the sake of Alexandra’s birdwing! When their strength was running out, D'Abrera's companions stopped. And at that very moment the photographer saw a velvety-black caterpillar resembling a small snake on an Aristolochia leaf. One, two, three... Then the pupae of Queen Alexandra began to come across. D'Abrera diligently photographed caterpillars and pupae. His experienced eye immediately noticed that one of the pupae looked as if a butterfly was about to emerge from it. But dusk was gathering. Because of the rabid mosquitoes and mosquitoes, it was impossible to spend the night in the jungle, so D'Abrera and his companions decided to come here tomorrow.

The next morning, making his way through the thicket, D'Abrera no longer paid attention to mosquitoes or evil ants. He imagined how he would capture on film the birth of the greatest butterfly in the world.

This is the treasured place. We were late: the chrysalis is empty. But no. Not far away, proudly spreading her mighty black-blue wings with snow-white spots, sat the newly born queen of butterflies. Click and rare photo made. The giant wings of Queen Alexandra trembled, the antennae moved - and the butterfly rose into the air. She flew slowly and majestically, as befits a queen. As if wanting to capture the imagination of people, Alexandra’s birdwing described a solemn circle in the air above their heads, then sharply soared up and disappeared. Silently, D'Abrera and his friends watched her with admiration. D'Abrera knew that there was nothing to dream about a portrait of the king, males are much less common than females, they are shy and live especially secretively.

He returned to Port Moresby to fly home to Australia. The photographer had little time left and decided to take a walk along the suburban highway.

Bougainvillea trees planted along the roadside, covered in deep pink flowers, separated the highway from the coffee plantations. As usual, bright butterflies swarmed around the flowers. And suddenly d'Abrera noticed an unusually large one among them. The photographer's hands reached out to the camera. But the mysterious butterfly was circling too high, at the very top of a twelve-meter tree.

Suddenly, some other butterfly, the most ordinary one, stunned by the heat, or perhaps intoxicated by flower nectar, for no apparent reason rushed towards the mysterious stranger and danced around him. He clearly didn't like this familiarity. He glided down steeply and landed on bougainvillea flowers very close to the photographer. Under the weight of the giant, the branch strewn with flowers trembled and sank low.

Yes, it was the king of butterflies. His golden-green wings, lined with black lines, sparkled like ancient brocade. D" Abrera was filming feverishly.

What else can you add? Photos of Queen Alexandra's Birdwing appeared in print. Now everyone can admire them. It’s not for nothing that d’Abrera’s photographs are called the most famous photographs of the century. It won’t be long until someone else has the good fortune to photograph this living miracle. After all, d’Abrera kept his word to his friends: having described in detail his meeting with the queen, the place where this meeting took place, and the road to it the photographer kept it a secret.

In conclusion of this work, I would like to note that this type classified as endangered, listed as Lepidoptera, the export, re-export and import of which is regulated in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Species wild fauna and endangered flora. Also, due to a sharp decline in the number of butterflies of this species due to deforestation, the species Ornithoptera alexandrae was included in the list of animals prohibited from catching. Thus, this species of butterfly is recognized as unique and endangered. It is necessary to preserve the natural pristineness of our planet and protect the beauty of the surrounding world!

Picture 1 . Queen Alexandra's Birdwing habitat.

Figure 2. Female and male.

3. Queen Alexandra's birdwing pupa.

Figure 5. Papuan and Queen Alexandra's birdwing.

Figure 6. Queen Alexandra's Birdwing.

Figure 7. Queen Alexandra's Birdwing.

Bibliography.

1.L. V. Kaabak, A. V. Sochivko Butterflies of the world / G. Wilczek. - Moscow: Avanta+, 2003. - P. 86. - 184 p. - (The most beautiful and famous). - 10,000 copies. -

2.V. Landman Butterflies. Illustrated encyclopedia / scientific. reviewer Divakova S.V. - Moscow: Labyrinth Press, 2002. - P. 71. - 272 p. - (Illustrated Encyclopedia).

3. Ornithoptera alexandrae: information on the Red Book website.

Birdwing is a rare and stunningly beautiful butterfly. It is the only one of its kind among lepidopteran insects.

She is also called Queen Alexandra or Ornithoptera Alexandra. Translated into Greek, it means “bird wing”.

The butterfly received this name for a reason: due to its very large size, from a distance, it is very similar to a bird. Ornithopteras are classified as members of the sailboat family, and their number reaches 800 species.

The Queen Ornithoptera was nicknamed because of its distinctive bigger size among individuals of the entire sail family. And the name was given to her in honor of the wife of the British King Edward VII. This butterfly is rightfully called a real pearl tropical forests.

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 amazed the imagination. According to scientists, this male was classified as a completely new species of ornithopter. It became necessary to find a mate for him, especially since the females are much larger than the 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 person in search of a female in 1906 was A.S. Mick. To expand his collection of insect studies, he wandered into the central part of New Guinea - this is the only place where birdwings live. While resting at a rest stop, 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 scientist’s feet. This was the same Queen Alexandra female that he had been looking for 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 this is almost impossible to do, since it lives and feeds on the nectar of flowers growing at very high altitudes. The flowers are called aristochilia and bloom high on tree branches.

On this moment, hunting for huge butterflies is strictly prohibited, as they are under protection due to the severe reduction in their numbers. This was a consequence of the eruption of the Lamington volcano in 1951. Over 260 square meters were lost. km of birdwing habitat.

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

Tizania Agrippina

This nocturnal butterfly, called Thysania agrippina, or Agrippina cutworm, lives in the tropical rainforests of the 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 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 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

Peacock eye atlas

Another giant butterfly from the peacock-eye family is the atlas peacock-eye (lat. Attacus atlas). They live in tropical and subtropical 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 differ somewhat from each other in the color and shape of their wings.

Sailboat antimah

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 nuances of color.

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

Madagascar comet

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

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 Russel Wallace described his meeting with this “royalty”: “During my first walk through the forest, I saw a huge butterfly of a dark color with white and white sitting on the greenery out of reach. yellow spots. I couldn’t take her, 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 discovered one of the most magnificent colored butterflies in the world. The male's wingspan is over seven inches (about 15 cm), velvety black and fiery orange combined with bright green. The beauty and brilliance of this insect are indescribable, and no one except a naturalist can understand the strong excitement that I then 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.