A senior Chinese agronomist claims he has discovered the world's largest butterfly, with a total wingspan of 22.6 centimeters, in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Jiang Shaofang, of the Guangxi Yuli Agricultural School, discovered the giant Atlas Moth butterfly on Mount Hanshan in Yulin City and has made the butterfly into a specimen.

Jiang said the butterfly wingspan was 26 millimeters longer than a bird-winged butterfly of Canada, which has a wingspan of about 20 centimeters.

The butterfly was the largest in the world in terms of the overall size of its wings.

Jiang has collected a variety of butterflies in Yulin over the years. He has also discovered a butterfly, with the ancient Chinese seal character "gu", meaning mountain valley or corn, on each of its wings.

(People's Daily September 18, 2003)