Treasure of the monthTreasure of the Month March: Extinct Beauty in LIB Collection

1 March 2017

Photo:

Photo: In Uranius sloanus the underside (right) is also beautiful. Photo: UHH/ CeNak

It is a Caribbean beauty, but is considered extinct since the beginning of the 19th century. The beautiful large butterfly (6.4 - 7.6 cm) Uranius sloanus was a diurnal butterfly found only in Jamaica. Here we present it as LIB treasure of the month March ...

It is a Caribbean beauty, but is considered extinct since the beginning of the 19th century. The beautiful large butterfly (6.4 - 7.6 cm) Uranius sloanus was a diurnal butterfly found only in Jamaica. Here we present it as the LIB Treasure of the Month for March. The butterfly, like many other animals, was a victim of habitat destruction. It was probably deprived of its livelihood when its food plants were cleared. A pair of this beautiful species can be admired in our LIB insect collection.