Chrysiridia madagascariensis on display at Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom- Sentosa, in Singapore

From the archive record

Chrysiridia madagascariensis and other moths on display at Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom- Sentosa, Singapore. The Madagascan sunset moth (Chrysiridia rhipheus) is a day-flying moth of the family Uraniidae. It is considered one of the most impressive and appealing-looking lepidopterans. Famous worldwide, it is featured in most coffee table books on Lepidoptera and is much sought after by collectors. It is very colourful, though the iridescent parts of the wings do not have pigment; rather the colours originate from optical interference. Adults have a wingspan of 7--9 cm (2.8--3.5 in). Dru Drury, who described the moth in 1773, placed it in the genus Papilio, considering it a butterfly. Jacob Hübner placed it in the moth genus Chrysiridia in 1823. Later redescriptions led to junior synonym