Ornithoptera

Ornithoptera is a genus of birdwing butterflies found in the northern portion of the Australasian realm, east of Weber's line; the Moluccas, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and northeastern Australia; except for Ornithoptera richmondia, which may be found in far northeastern New South Wales, Australia, therefore the southernmost distribution of birdwings. This genus includes the two largest butterfly species in the world, the Queen Alexandra's birdwing and the Goliath birdwing. Ornithoptera species are highly prized by insect collectors because they are rare, large, and considered exceptionally beautiful.^[2][3]

Ornithoptera
Ornithoptera spp. (top left: male O. priamus caelestis; top right: male O. euphorion; bottom left: male O. goliath atlas; bottom right: female O. goliath atlas)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Tribe:	Troidini
Genus:	Ornithoptera Boisduval, 1832
Type species
Papilio priamus Linnaeus, 1758[1]

Species

subgenus: Aetheoptera

• Ornithoptera victoriae – Queen Victoria's birdwing

subgenus: Ornithoptera

• Ornithoptera aesacus – Obi Island birdwing
• Ornithoptera croesus – Wallace's golden birdwing
• Ornithoptera euphorion – Cairns birdwing
• Ornithoptera priamus – common green birdwing
• Ornithoptera richmondia – Richmond birdwing

subgenus: Schoenbergia

• Ornithoptera chimaera – chimaera birdwing
• Ornithoptera goliath – Goliath birdwing
• Ornithoptera meridionalis – southern tailed birdwing
• Ornithoptera paradisea – paradise birdwing
• Ornithoptera rothschildi – Rothschild's birdwing
• Ornithoptera tithonus – Tithonus birdwing

subgenus: Straatmana

• Ornithoptera alexandrae – Queen Alexandra's birdwing