World’s Largest Butterfly Fossil Discovered in Japan

HYOGO, May 29 (News On Japan) - A butterfly fossil discovered 37 years ago in Shinonsen, Hyogo Prefecture, and kept in a local museum has been identified as a new species and the largest butterfly fossil ever found globally.

The fossil, with clearly visible wing patterns, was unearthed from geological layers estimated to be around 2.5 million years old. It has been preserved at the local museum in Shinonsen since its discovery. Last year, a research team led by Hiroaki Aiba, a part-time lecturer at Keio Yochisha Elementary School, conducted a detailed examination and determined that it belongs to a new species in the genus Onimisujicho of the Nymphalidae family.

The butterfly’s wingspan is estimated to have been 84 millimeters, making it the largest butterfly fossil ever recorded worldwide.

Source: MBS

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