Cairns birdwing
| Cairns birdwing | |
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| Male at Melbourne Zoo | |
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| Female, ventral view | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Tribe: | Troidini |
| Genus: | Ornithoptera |
| Species: | O. euphorion |
| Binomial name | |
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Ornithoptera euphorion (Gray, 1852) |
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| Distribution of Ornithoptera euphorion (in green) and other species of Ornithoptera in Australia | |
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Ornithoptera euphorion, the Cairns birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly endemic to north-eastern Australia, and is Australia's largest endemic butterfly species. Other common names include Cooktown birdwing and northern birdwing. The names Cairns and Cooktown in its common names reference the Australian cities in the region where this butterfly is found.
The wingspan can be up to 15 cm (5.9 in) in females, and 12.5 cm (4.9 in) in males. A closely allied species, the New Guinea or Priam's birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus) reaches 19 cm (7.5 in) and is the largest butterfly species found in Australia, but it is not endemic. O. euphorion is quite closely related to O. richmondia, differing by its greater size and more extensive green markings in the male.
Males have a predominantly black upper wing with emerald green flashes, however the female lacks the green colouring, having a plain black upper wing with white patches. The female is the larger of the two sexes.
There was a spectacular and rare genetic mutation of this butterfly, where single aberrant female produced less than 40 aberrant progeny. The females were pale instead of dark, and the males were golden instead of green.
Male from Icones Ornithopterorum.
Female from Icones Ornithopterorum. Note the lack the green colouration.
Cairns birdwings are found southwards from Mount Webb and Cooktown to Mackay in Queensland. Its favoured habitat is rainforest of the Queensland wet tropics region, including riverine forest, and particularly near the coast. It is also often seen in Cairns, attracted to the flowers of Lantana, Hibiscus and Bougainvillea in suburban gardens.
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Wikipedia