Krakow. Polish scientists have discovered a new species of butterfly in Ecuador. Thanks to the photo on the internet

An international group of scientists, including researchers from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, has discovered a new species of butterfly in the immediate vicinity of the capital of Ecuador – Quito.

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The insect, which belongs to the well-studied group of butterflies, has been named Corradis Yanacocha. Although reports of new species, especially in South America, are not rare, as Jagiellonian University authorities emphasized in their announcement, this case is special – because of the place where the butterfly is found and the way scientists tracked it.

According to the university, scientists have noticed a trace of this species on the global website “iNaturalist”, where nature lovers and scientists share interesting photos of animals and plants. “One of them depicts an unidentified butterfly with a distinctive wing color, which attracted the attention of specialists,” – we read in a publication of the Jagiellonian University.

The university confirmed that the place of discovery is also unusual – Quito is a large city with a population of about three million people. “Among the countries of South America, Ecuador is the most famous for its fauna and flora, especially butterflies, which have been studied in this region since the middle of the nineteenth century; it is difficult to understand how much they are admired,” the press release noted. It has survived for a long time through the eyes of researchers.

Scientists suspect that the butterfly has not yet been described due to its natural habitat. Although they live in the busy environs of the capital, they are only found in a narrow strip of vegetation along the upper forest line that covers the cone of the active Pichincha volcano. Scientific research in this field is hampered by unfavorable weather conditions and high altitude.

As we read in the advertisement of the oldest Polish university, Corradis Yanacocha It is “a large butterfly with a wingspan of about 7 cm, and its wings are brown with a brick-red stripe not found in any other representative of this genus which has a total of about 25 species.”

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The new species of butterfly has a “marbled, camouflaged pattern with an orange accent on the front pair” on the underside of its wings. Six males of this species are known in collections around the world, one of which is housed at the Jagiellonian University Nature Education Centre. But the female is still unknown.

“Corradis Yanacocha This happens in the Yanacocha Reserve, which was originally created to protect endangered hummingbirds. The Jagiellonian University stated that protecting part of the primitive forest prevented the establishment of industrial plantations of trees alien to this area (pine and eucalyptus) and stopped predatory agriculture, which saved this type of butterfly from extinction.

The discovery was made possible thanks to the collaboration of scientists from the Jagiellonian University, the Natural History Museum of the University of Florida, the Zoological Museum of Bonn, and French lepidopterists, “with the aim of identifying the fauna of the most biodiverse region in the world.” The world, the tropical Andes, which contributes to raising public awareness of the necessity of protecting natural environments and preserving the biodiversity of our planet.