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Description
So...
The Madagascan sunset moth.
Key word being moth.
You wouldn’t think it at first glance, would you...

I mean, this is one of the most colourful insects out there.
Surely this must be a butterfly right?

Which is allso what the entomologist Dru Drury assumed back in 1773 when it was first discovered.
The matter of the colours along with the similarities to the swallowtail butterflies...
There was no question really.
It was immediately placed in the butterfly family, and given the Latin name of Papilio rhipheus.

Which was of course wrong.

I should perhaps mention here, that the original specimen handed to mr. Drury had at some point lost its head, and had the head of another species attached to it. One of an insect with clubbed antennae. Probably a butterfly. Clubbed antennae is one of the characteristics of butterflies, after all.

So much for science....

One could ask oneself how much blame could truly be placed on the poor entomologist, when someone had Frankensteined the specimen in that way...

Anyway, the Madagascan sunset moth, does not have clubbed antennae.
The Latin name commonly used nowadays is Chrysiridia rhipheus.

Actually the colours aren’t really what they seem either.
But rather an optical illusion.

A lot like those antennae I guess.

Description
So...
The Madagascan sunset moth.
Key word being moth.
You wouldn’t think it at first glance, would you...

I mean, this is one of the most colourful insects out there.
Surely this must be a butterfly right?

Which is allso what the entomologist Dru Drury assumed back in 1773 when it was first discovered.
The matter of the colours along with the similarities to the swallowtail butterflies...
There was no question really.
It was immediately placed in the butterfly family, and given the Latin name of Papilio rhipheus.

Which was of course wrong.

I should perhaps mention here, that the original specimen handed to mr. Drury had at some point lost its head, and had the head of another species attached to it. One of an insect with clubbed antennae. Probably a butterfly. Clubbed antennae is one of the characteristics of butterflies, after all.

So much for science....

One could ask oneself how much blame could truly be placed on the poor entomologist, when someone had Frankensteined the specimen in that way...

Anyway, the Madagascan sunset moth, does not have clubbed antennae.
The Latin name commonly used nowadays is Chrysiridia rhipheus.

Actually the colours aren’t really what they seem either.
But rather an optical illusion.

A lot like those antennae I guess.