A new species of butterflies was named after the main villain from The Lord of the Rings (4 photos)

Of course, these butterflies are not dangerous and do not plan to rule the world with the help of dark forces, but who knows.





It took over 10 years for 30 scientists from all over the world to discover this unique species of butterflies. And draw attention to your they decided to find a big name. The choice fell on the main antagonist "Lord of the Rings" Sauron, more precisely, on his all-seeing eye.



The fact is that the color of the wings of butterflies is very similar to the symbol the main power of the dark magician. On the orange wings you can clearly see ring. Tolkien himself described the All-Seeing Eye as follows: "The eye was bordered fire, but he himself was glazed, yellow, like a cat, wary and attentive, and the black slit of his pupil opened in the hole, the window into nothing."



But back to the butterflies, more than 400 different species using the latest DNA analysis methods. Achievements in DNA sequencing means researchers can now identify species not only by their appearance, but also by their genetics. As a result, two subspecies of Saurona were identified - Saurona triangular and Saurona aurigera.



Butterfly curator Blanca Huertas of the Natural History Museum stated that “giving these butterflies an unusual name helps draw attention to this undervalued group."

However, a dung beetle, a frog and even a dinosaur already bear the name of Sauron.