Madagascan Sunset Moth (Chrysiridia rhipheus)

There is no pigment in the bright parts of a Madagascan sunset moth. The greens, golds, magentas and violets are produced by ribbon-like scales that bend light and let the reflections interfere with one another, so the colour depends entirely on the angle you view it from. Move, and the wing changes. The only true pigment on the animal is the black.

It flies by day, which is one reason it is so often taken for a butterfly, and has a wingspan reaching nine centimetres. It is endemic to Madagascar and found across most of the island except the arid south.

The display is honest advertising. Its caterpillars feed exclusively on Omphalea vines, which are toxic, and the adult retains those toxins - so the colour is a warning rather than a decoration. Since the moth must follow its host plants, it migrates seasonally across the island as different Omphalea populations come into leaf.

A vector illustration of the Madagascan sunset moth in dorsal view, drawn for the Bugs series of insect art prints.

Bugs is a collection of natural history illustration prints drawn from the insect world - beetles, flies, bugs, butterflies, and moths selected for the strangeness, beauty, and variety of their forms.

Each illustration is adapted from Simon Tyler's book Bugs, published by Pavilion in 2017 and subsequently published in French and Chinese. The series draws on the tradition of scientific natural history illustration - precise, considered, and attentive to the details that make each species distinctive.

Insects account for the majority of all known animal species on Earth. This collection is a small survey of what that diversity looks like.

All prints are produced to order on 250gsm archival matte paper using pigment-based inks, chosen for colour accuracy and long-term stability.

Each print is rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, sealed for moisture protection, ready for framing on arrival.

Large · 70 × 50 cm · 28 × 20 in

XLarge · 100 × 70 cm · 40 × 28 in

UK: Free · 3-5 working days

Europe: €8.50 · 3-7 working days · No customs charges

USA & Canada: $8.95 / $12.00 CAD · 5-10 working days

Australia: $14.00 AUD · 5-10 working days

Rest of World: £14.95 · 7-14 working days

All prints are produced to order and dispatched within 1-3 working days. Orders placed before 5pm GMT ship the same day. You'll receive tracking information by email once dispatched.

Orders outside Europe may be subject to local customs charges on delivery - these are the responsibility of the recipient.

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Returns accepted within 30 days. Email returns@axisophy.com with your order number and we'll provide return instructions.

Return postage is the customer's responsibility except where the print arrives damaged or there's been an error - in which case we'll arrange a replacement or refund immediately, no return needed.

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