| Queen Victoria's Birdwing | |
|---|---|
| Male O. victoriae from Guadalcanal, upperside | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Tribe: | Troidini |
| Genus: | Ornithoptera |
| Species: | O. victoriae |
| Binomial name | |
| Ornithoptera victoriae Gray, 1856 |
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Queen Victoria's Birdwing (Ornithoptera victoriae) is a birdwing butterfly found in the Solomon Islands and Bougainville Island (Papua New Guinea).
It was described in 1856 by Gray. The wingspan is about 15–18 centimetres (5.9–7.1 in). This butterfly is a member of the family Papilionidae.
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The species is not rare, but some populations are declining due to deforestation. Ornithoptera victoriae is, like all other birdwing butterflies, a strictly protected species. It is listed in the Appendix II of CITES, meaning that international trade is restricted to captive-raised specimens. The Solomon Islands, which include a significant part of this species' range, only became a signatory to CITES in 2007 (Papua New Guinea have been a signatory for many years).
The fore wings are black. Next to the wing tip there is a large , green spot. There is a green area around the thorax. The underside of Ornithoptera victoriae is black. The green spot and the green area are combined. At the wing leading edge there is a large black spot. The veins are black.
The hind wings of Ornithoptera victorae are green. The edge of wing is black. At the outer edge there are three golden spots. The underside is green. The veins are partly black. At the outer edge there are three golden spots. Between these golden spots there are black spots.
The body (abdomen) is yellowish or white. Head and thorax are black. The underside is a copy of upside.
Sex differences: The female covers the upper range of the wing-span. It is significant-larger than the male. The basic colour of the female is black or dark-brown. There are many white spots on the fore wings. Next to the thorax there are two yellow stripes. On the hind wings there are two chains of white marks. There is also one yellow spot. The underside is a copy from upside.