The moustached Splendeuptychia palpae. Pic © Natural History Museum
A new species of butterfly has been discovered after almost a century in the Natural History Museum, after its identity was given away by its moustache.
The Magdalena Valley Ringlet, from the Madalena valleys in Colombia, was uncovered by curator Blanca Huertas after she compared its unusually hairy mouthparts with a recently-found wild specimen.
“The collections here are a treasure trove to be explored,” said Huertas, whose find had hidden in the collection for 90 years.
“Butterflies are a diverse group of insects with almost 20,000 known species, 40 per cent of which are in South America. There are many new species still waiting to be discovered, both in museum collections and in the field.”
Splendeuptychia ackeryi. Pic © Natural History Museum
Huertas chanced upon the furry acquisition while exploring remote mountains in its South American habitat four years ago, but only realised the butterfly had not been named or described upon studying archives dating from 1920 when she returned to the UK.
“We have almost nine million butterflies and moths in our collections, a comprehensive example of the Earth’s diversity,” she added.
“We are working hard at the Museum with our current exhibitions and developments to encourage a new generation of researchers.
“They can help us complete an inventory of the planet’s biodiversity before we lose more species unknown to science.”
Forthcoming ventures at the NHM include a Butterfly Jungle, opening in the summer, and a new Darwin Centre planned for September.
