. . . in the air
Urania sloanus : Jamaica Red Macaw : Blue Mountain Duck
This moth is considered “the most spectacular Urania species”.
David Lees and Neal Smith, in the Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society (1991)
Urania sloanus, a magnificent day-flying moth, was unique to Jamaica, and with its brilliant colours it must have glittered in the island sunlight. It has not been observed since the 1890s, and it seems as if only one preserved specimen still exists. It is suggested that the destruction of the lowland forests for farming deprived its larvae of essential feeding grounds, and led inevitably to its extinction.
Urania sloanus
This exotic image from a 1928 cigarette card shows the moth under its earlier name
Cydimon sloanus
Cydimon sloanus
