Malayan Yellowbottle Graphium empedovana

This swallowtail butterfly from the Philippines has an interesting claim to fame: it wasn't formally described by science until 1941. Despite existing for millennia and being well-known to local people, it remained unstudied by Western science until relatively recently. This speaks volumes about how much of the insect world remains unstudied, even today.

The swallowtail family is renowned for producing some of the largest and most impressive butterflies on Earth. This Philippine native maintains that family reputation, representing the hidden biodiversity of island Southeast Asia. How many other remarkable butterflies are still waiting for their moment of scientific recognition?