Top 10 Most Rare Butterflies

Although there are more than 14,000 species of butterflies in the world, many are on the verge of extinction and have become extremely rare and precious. So, do you know which butterflies are the most precious? 

This article will introduce you to ten of the world's most precious butterflies, namely, the Golden Swallowtail, the Two-tailed Brown Swallowtail, the Imperial Moth Yin-Yang Butterfly, the Alexandrine Birdwing Swallowtail, the Paradise Birdwing Swallowtail, the Rose Crystal Eyed Butterfly, the Three-tailed Brown Swallowtail, the Goddess of Light Flash, the Owl Butterfly, the Oriental Pearl Butterfly and the 88-Vortex Butterfly. Let's learn about these precious butterflies together!

1. Golden Swallowtail

Golden Swallowtail is mainly distributed in Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi and Hainan, and there are only 5 subspecies. As a unique treasure of China, it is known as the "national butterfly" and "the pride of butterflies", and is a rare butterfly species in the world.

Due to its rarity, the Golden Swallowtail is the only national first-class protected butterfly in China. It ranks first among the eight precious butterflies in the world and is also known as the "dream butterfly" and the "living fossil of the world's animals". Its elegant posture is like a gorgeous, noble and radiant "lady", so it is known as the "queen of butterflies". A Golden Swallowtail was once sold at an auction at a sky-high price of one million, which shows how precious it is.

2. Two-tailed Brown Swallowtail

The Two-tailed Brown Swallowtail belongs to the Papilionidae family and is a rare butterfly rarely seen in the world. It was first discovered in western Yunnan, China in the 1930s. It is a species endemic to China and is mainly distributed in Sichuan and Yunnan. It is currently listed as a national second-class protected animal.

After being first recorded in western Yunnan in the 1930s, it was not until 1981 that climbers from Hokkaido, Japan, rediscovered it on Mount Gongga. The two-tailed brown swallowtail butterfly is considered one of the most precious butterflies in the world.

3. Emperor Moth Yin Yang Butterfly

The Emperor Moth Yin Yang Butterfly is a butterfly species endemic to South America. It is one of the rarest species of butterflies, and can usually only be found in one out of ten million butterflies. Its wings are significantly different in shape, color and size.

This butterfly has a pair of wings of different shapes, asymmetrical, and different sexes. The left wing is female and the right wing is male, so it presents the characteristics of a mixture of male and female. Due to the different shapes of the two wings, the Emperor Moth Yin Yang Butterfly cannot fly, and its life cycle is only 6 days.

4. Alexandria Birdwing Swallowtail

Alexandria Birdwing Swallowtail is the largest butterfly in the world. It was first named by Rothschild in 1907 in honor of Queen Alexandria (1844-1925), the wife of King Edward VII of England. This butterfly is only found in the Northern Province in eastern New Guinea.

Alexandria Birdwing Swallowtail has been listed as an endangered species since 1989. Due to its scarcity, it has a very high value on the black market. The species is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and is classified as a Class I protection level, which is an endangered species.

5. Birdwing Swallowtail of Paradise

Male

Birdwing Swallowtail of Paradise is a large butterfly of the genus Birdwing of the family Papilionidae of the order Lepidoptera, which is only distributed in New Guinea and its surrounding islands. This species has obvious gender differences, with female butterflies being larger, yellow-green in color, and with rounder and wider wings.

Female

Their larvae parasitize on poisonous Aristolochia plants to protect themselves. This species is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and is classified as a Class II protected species. It is an endangered species and hunting is prohibited.

6. Rose Crystal Eye Butterfly

Rose Crystal Butterfly, this butterfly is like an elf in nature, with completely transparent wings and a brilliant red bottom, which is very beautiful and rare. 

In addition, the transparent part of this butterfly has no scales, which really makes people sigh at the wonders of nature. Its charming tail and completely transparent wings make many collectors eager to own this treasure. 

This butterfly is rated as R level (level 1) by the International Endangered Species Protection Association and is distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi and other regions in China.

7. Three-tailed Brown Swallowtail

The Three-tailed Brown Swallowtail, also known as the Western Brown Swallowtail or the Three-tailed Swallowtail, is a medium-sized butterfly native to China. Its forewings are between 42 and 48 mm long, and its hindwings have three tail-like protrusions, hence the name "Three-tailed Brown Swallowtail". This butterfly is mainly distributed in Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan and Shaanxi in China. It has been listed in the "Red List of Endangered Species of the World Conservation Union" and its protection level is Least Concern (LC). 

It is also a national second-level protected animal. At present, the number of Three-tailed Brown Swallowtail is already quite rare. Some of the distribution areas originally recorded have hardly seen this butterfly again in the past decade.

8. Morpho Helena

Morpho Helena, also known as Morpho Helena, is known as the most beautiful butterfly in the world. The surface of its wings is like the blue ocean, vividly set against the white waves, and the colors and patterns are extremely spectacular. Morpho Helena is mainly distributed in Brazil and Peru, especially in the Amazon River Basin of Peru in South America. Due to its small number and weak reproductive capacity, Morpho Helena is very precious. 

Although a large number of artificial breeding has been carried out in Peru and it is circulated in the market as an export product, and this butterfly can occasionally be seen in China, the wild Morpho Helena is still extremely rare and valuable.

9. Owl Butterfly

The Owl Butterfly is a well-known common large butterfly in the world. Its wings resemble the face of an owl, showing a very clever camouflage effect. The name of the Owl Butterfly comes from the pattern on its wings. 

On both sides of the lower wings, there are patterns similar to owl eyes, giving people a fierce feeling. In addition to its powerful deterrent power, when it spreads its wings, the bright colors on the front will be revealed, showing its magnificent side.

10. Oriental Pearl Butterfly

The Oriental Pearl Butterfly is the national butterfly of Indonesia, also known as the Green Birdwing Butterfly. This butterfly is a typical representative of the birdwing butterfly genus, with 14 subspecies. The middle of its front wings is black, and the surrounding is dark green, with four to five black spots on the edge. There is an oval golden spot on the front edge of the hind wings and the junction with the front wings. The Oriental Pearl Butterfly is a rare treasure in the birdwing swallowtail genus.

The world's top ten most precious butterflies are based on the data integration of relevant websites. The ranking recommendation is based on the rarity of butterflies, distribution range, and collection value of specimens. This list is for reference only. If you have any questions or suggestions, please comment and correct at the end.

animal tags： Butterfly