Most expensive butterfly in the world

[papilio789]

Hello everyone,
I want to ask what could be the highest price paid for largest specimen of butterfly in the world (for the biggest one, which is ever sold).
It is a matter of bets, the concrete species discussed was Attacus atlas.
Thank you very much
Jerome










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[africaone]

price is not specifically relied to the wingspan ....
attacus atlas is a common species sold for few coins !

but in coleoptera (espacially prionid and lucanid) length is very important regarding the price !

[jamesd]

Would it be for an extinct species? Perhaps a beautiful and extinct, gynandromorph?

[bobw]

As Thierry said, size isn't a factor in Lepidoptera. I think you'd have to go a long way to beat prices I've heard for Papilio elephenor; I can't remember what it was but there was something in the old forum about it.

[africaone]

Papilio elephenor .... it was a post (topic 2361, old forum) from Claude .... 145 000 $

[nomihoudai]

Here is Claude, I must change that number Drop the 1 in front, I misscopied back then =/ The actual reference was towards panzerman who whitnessed a Papilio elphenor to be sold for something like 40000$

Altough I do think that the largest specimen of an Attacus atlas will fetch a higher price (something like 32cm wingspan) than usual specimen it will still be a lousy price compared to some rare Papilio as the market for them is rather small.

james, what about a teratologic gynandromorphic chimera of an abberation of a form of an extinct species ?

[papilio789]

Oh...that seems I have lost
So it really means that if I theoretically have specimen with e.g. 32 cm wingspan...it will have nearly same price as much smaller one (regarding some common species)?
Bad luck, I will have to pay a lot of beer

[nomihoudai]

Well same price not exactly, I guess you could rather easily make 100$ instead of 3$ which is a huge difference but still pocket money compared to some Papilios.

[johnnyboy]

I think that a 32cm wingspan Atlas moth would, if marketed properly, fetch hundreds of dollars in Japan.

Johnny

[thanos]

A Thysania agrippina with a wingspan (measured when spread correctly,with the forewings at 90 degrees angle) of +30-31 cm, I'm sure that would be sold for several hundreds of dollars,too, as it's extremely rare in this size.
I think that the top rare forms of Agrias, are sold in Japan for even higher prices than P.elephenor .
For Coleoptera,in addition to Prioninae and Lucanidae mentioned above, length is very important for the price also in Goliathus and Dynastes.
I think that a top-giant A1 male (+15cm) of the Prioninae Xixuthrus heros from Solomon islands, if offered, would be the most expensive beetle in the world.


Thanos

[cyane]

In 2001 I went to the Solomon Islands to buy an Ornithoptera allottei. I sold it on and it ended up costing the buyer (including customs duties, insurance etc) Aus$21,000+
My profit was having my airfare paid for, about Aus$1500 at the time.

[wollastoni]

And you bought it 100 USD ! Nice deal !

[africaone]

this is just a recall of an ancient post about an aberrant paradisea
a sale at Drouot
www.farrando-lemoine.com/html/index.jsp?id=6513&lng=fr

sold at 17000 € + fees and taxes = more than 20 000 euros (+/- 27 000 $)

this is probably not the highest known but this is real !

[panzerman]

Here are some highs from auctions, private sales....

papilio neyi bedoci $6000US in 1970= $75,000 in 2011 US$
ornithoptera rothschildi $1500 in 1960s now $30,000US
papilio elephenor $45,000 AI male 2010 price AI female $100,000+
ornithoptera chimaera flavidior AI male brought from ex Schmitt coll. for 25,000US in 1990 by Canadian collector
o. paradisea borchi form 17,000EUROS
papilio homerus AI+ female sold in Japan $12,000 2009(lucky me I paid $450US in 1985!)
blue form o. alexandrae fetched $15,000 US Japan

John

[fred2802]

For Ornithoptera rothschildi one should read 30$ I suppose ?