Madagascar's Magnificent Moths

Madagascar is known for their lemurs (click here and here to see previous posts on a couple of species), but they also have some magnificent moths and butterflies.  Like the Comet moth, also known as the Madagascan moon moth...

Source:  Earthly Nation

which as an adult only lives for 4 or 5 days, just long enough for the female to mate and lay around 150 eggs.  (The reason moon moths don't live very long is because they have no functional mouths.)  The comet moth is one of the world's largest silk moths.  It almost looks like a Japanese kite.

Also in the silk moth family is the Suraka silk moth...

Source:  African moths

with its gorgeous eye spots.  It is also known as the Emperor moth.

One of the most sought after specimens of butterfly collectors is the Sunset moth.

Source:  Wikipedia

It is a moth, although you can see why the local Malagasy people call it "noble spirit" or "king butterfly".

The Madagascar Giant Swallowtail is one of several swallowtails only found in Madagascar.

Source:  Wikipedia

It is called the giant swallowtail because it has a wingspan of about 5 1/2 inches.

This is the male of another swallowtail species found only there - the Papilio mangoura.

Source:  Wikipedia

And there are many more.  Madagascar has a diversity of species found nowhere else on earth - a real treasure trove island.