Complete lot of 25 irreplaceable exotic day-flying butterflies. Taxidermy full body mount - Oa. Prepona laertes demodice , Anteos menippe, Hamadryas amphinome, Eunica norica - 30 cm - 40 cm - 6 cm - Ex. Collectie Vestergaard - 25

Rare complete museum chest with 25 irreplaceable exotic butterflies from the famous Vestergaard collection.

This collection is not just 25 butterflies together. This is a world tour from the period 1960-1980, when export from many of these areas was still possible.

Today almost all of these species are protected, CITES-registered or come from areas that have become inaccessible due to deforestation.

A chest with this diversity, perfectly prepared and with colors still fully intact, is almost never offered anymore.

This is an intercontinental selection: Central & South America, Equatorial Africa and Southeast Asia. That is exactly what Vestergaard was known for.

Here is the identification per piece, from top left to bottom right as in the overview photo:

ROW 1 - Top row:
1. Anteos menippe - Large Sulphur Butterfly: Bright lemon yellow. From the Amazon region (Brazil/Peru). Highly sought after for its size and rarity in this perfect condition.

2. Hamadryas amphinome - Red Cracker: Gray-white marbled with little eyes. Central America. Rare because it flies only at high elevations in the rainforest and is rarely found in collections.

3. Amauris niavius dominicanus - Forest Naiad: Black-white-blue. Central Africa (Congo, Cameroon). Poisonous species, model for mimicry. Very few large butterflies are exported from Africa nowadays.

4. Doxocopa laurentia - Emperor: Dark brown with purple sheen. South America. Males are extremely territorial and hard to capture.

5. Aporia crataegi - Large White-veined White: Translucent white with black veining. Palearctic/Europe/Asia. In Europe almost extinct due to pesticides.

ROW 2:

6. Zaretis itys - Yellow Leaf Butterfly: Orange autumn leaf imitator. Amazon region. Perfect camouflage, very rare in this pristine state.

7. Euphaedra edwardsii - Green Forest Naiad: Black with emerald green band. Equatorial Africa (Cameroon, Gabon). One of the most sought-after African species among collectors, virtually unobtainable.

8. Hamadryas laodamia - Blue Star Cracker: Black with light blue stars. Central America. The blue scales fade quickly; this specimen has stayed exceptionally beautiful.

9. Vindula erota - Cruiser: Large orange butterfly. Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Borneo). Only in pristine primary forest.

10. Jamides celeno - Little Blue: Small metallic blue. Asia. Lycaenidae of this size are rarely prepared so well.

ROW 3:

11. Eunica norica - Purple Eunica: Dark blue with broad blue edge. South America (Colombia). High-altitude species, very limited distribution.

12. Eryphanis automedon - Purple Owl Butterfly: Dark brown with intense purple-blue sheen. Central America. Nocturnal; a trophy in every collection.

13. Adelpha cytherea - Yellow Sister: Brown with wide yellow band. South America (Peru). Rare Adelpha species, much rarer than the common Adelphas.

14. Prepona laertes demodice - Turquoise Prepona: Black with giant turquoise mirror. The star of this chest from the Amazon. The metallic color is vivid and does not fade. Top piece, museum quality !!!!!
Value alone €150-€250.

15. Appias epaphia - White: Small white-yellow. Africa. Subtly but rare in old chests.

ROW 4:

16. Ideopsis similis - Glass Tiger: White with brown lattice. Southeast Asia (Philippines, Sulawesi). Poisonous Danaidae, model species.

17. Nessaea hewitsonii - Blue Nessaea: Black with green-blue metallic band. Amazon basin. One of the most sought-after South American butterflies due to the oil-spot structure.

18. Callicore cynosura - Red-band 88 butterfly: Bright red with black. Peru/Bolivia. The underside marks the number 88. Extremely popular and rare.

19. Catonephele numilia - Orange Catonephele: Black with large orange patches. Amazon. Very strong sexual dimorphism; this male is a showpiece.

20. Dixeia pigea - African White: White with black cap. East Africa. Old African Pieridae are no longer collected.

ROW 5 - Bottom row:

21. Danaus genutia - Common Tiger: Orange tiger. India / Southeast Asia. Related to the Monarch, but an Asian subspecies much rarer in Europe.

22. Neptis hylas - Common Sailor: Brown with white band. Asia. Classic sailor, rare in this size.

23. Euploea mulciber - Blue Crow: Dark with white spots and purple-blue glow. Indonesia. Poisonous and rare, perfect blue iridescence preserved.

24. Hamadryas feronia - Variable Cracker: Brown with a complex eye pattern, red in the middle. South America. Underside resembles bark, top side this mosaic.

25. Cithaerias pireta - Blushing Phantom / Pink Glasswing: Almost completely transparent with pink tips and eye spots. Central and South America. The absolute top piece in terms of rarity. Glasswings with this pink blush have become iconic and priceless. Only found from the Vestergaard period in this quality.

Conclusion:

This is not a chest with 25 loose butterflies. This is a closed, historical biotope collection. The combination of 3 continents, the presence of 4-5 absolute top pieces (14 Prepona, 25 Cithaerias, 18 Callicore, 17 Nessaea, 7 Euphaedra) and the provenance "Vestergaard" makes it museum-grade.

As a whole this is a collection that belongs in a natural history museum.

A lifelong collection, hand-prepared. This is a lot for the serious collector who seeks provenance, data, and species you will never find in a shop again.

We have received 100 new Vestergaard museum drawers inside !!!!

Again a very large complete scientific insect collection. Provenance Vestergaard / Gyulai and several other national and international entomologists. We will auction this collection again without minimum prices on Catawiki, so keep an eye on my listings.

Pickup is preferred due to fragility. If you buy multiple crates we can arrange a delivery personally.
When shipping we will package the crates with care and utmost safety. Although all insects are securely mounted on pins there is always a small chance of damage. Therefore shipping is at your own risk.

We have now shipped more than 80 crates and they have all arrived well, apart from one butterfly that fell from its pin.

Packed with care and shipped insured.