Queen Alexandra's birdwing

Queen Alexandra's birdwing
Female (above) and male (below), not to scale
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Ornithoptera
Subgenus: Straatmana
Deslisle, 2007
Species:
O. alexandrae
Binomial name
Ornithoptera alexandrae
(Rothschild, 1907)
Synonyms[3]
  • Troides alexandrae
    Rothschild, 1907

Ornithoptera alexandrae, the Queen Alexandra's birdwing, is the largest species of butterfly in the world, with females reaching wingspans slightly in excess of 25 to 28 cm (10 to 11 in).[4][5] This birdwing is restricted to the forests of the Oro Province in eastern Papua New Guinea.

The species is endangered and one of only four insects to be listed on Appendix I of CITES, making commercial international trade illegal. The other three insects listed are butterflies as well. They are the Parides burchellanus, Papilio homerus, Ornithoptera alexandrae, Achillides chikae chikae (plus subspecies chikae hermeli).[6]

  1. ^ Böhm, M. (2018). "Ornithoptera alexandrae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T15513A88565197. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T15513A88565197.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ Rothschild, Walter (1907). "Troides Alexandrae spec. nov". Novitates Zoologicae. 14: 96. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.25380.
  4. ^ November 2010, Remy Melina 04 (4 November 2010). "What's the Biggest Butterfly?". livescience.com. Retrieved 2020-07-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Queen Alexandra's Birdwing Butterfly Facts For Kids & Adults: Pictures, Information & Video". Active Wild. 2017-01-24. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  6. ^ CITES appendices I, II and III, official website