300 times per minute. Five times per second. That is the slowest flap ever recorded in an insect and it is enough for it to fly.
This milestone is marked by macaon either king butterfly (Papilio machaon).
Machaon
It is one of the best known and most beautiful butterflies in Europe, and It is also very common in the Iberian Peninsula (not so in the Atlantic islands or Ireland, and in England it is barely widespread).
Has between 32 and 80 mm wingspan and is characterized by its black and cream-yellow wings. The lower wings have red ocelli and have tails.
The "dust" that covers the wings of butterflies and moths is, in fact, a network of tiny scales composed mostly of chitin, the second most abundant natural polymer after cellulose.
What is the macaón butterfly called in other languages? English: Old World swallowtail; French: Le Grand porte-queue; Italian: macaone; German: Schwalbenschwanz.
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The news
The insect with the slowest flapping of all moves its wings "only" 5 times per second
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.