Delias Durai Butterfly

Joining the world's largest butterfly and the world's largest moth, this butterfly is among more than 1,000 new species discovered in the world's third-largest tract of rain forest.

Butterfly (Delias durai), Papua New Guinea. The 580 new invertebrate species described between 1998 and 2008 have displayed a large variety of types. They include four Delias butterfly species from the Foja Mountains in Papua in Indonesia. These add to the already impressive list of butterflies and moths, topped by the largest butterfly in the world, the giant Queen Alexandra Birdwing, which has a wingspan of up to 30cm, and the Atlas moth, the world’s largest moth.

Photo By: Henk van Mastrigt

The Delias durai butterfly, from Papua New Guinea's Foja mountains, joins an impressive array of similar creatures known to inhabit the island, including the world's largest butterfly and the world's largest moth. It is one of more than 1,000 new species discovered in Papua New Guinea in recent years, more than half of them invertebrates, according to WWF, which has just released a report on the island's amazing natural riches.

New Guinea, an island divided politically by Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, has the world's third-largest tract of intact rain forest, after the Amazon and the Congo. Deforestation, conservationists warn, is a major threat to the forest and the habitat it provides.

Conservation International has previously reported on its discoveries of amazing new wildlife species in New Guinea. See more photos of newly discovered Papua New Guinea wildlife.

COMMENTS ()