Neglected Eighty-Eight Butterfly - Neatorama

Photo: Joel Sartore

National Geographic has a neat gallery of wonderful patterns in butterflies. This one is my favorite, the neglected eighty eight (or 89, depending on the butterfly) butterfly (Diaethria neglecta). Does anyone know the reason it's called "neglected"?

Previously on Neatorama: Joel Sartore's RARE: Portraits of America's Endangered Species

My guess is that its wings resemble that of a person's skin who has dermatosis neglecta. (bit.ly/hqPOSc)

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When scientists "discover" that that samples of a species are actually two species, they often name the second one 'neglecta' (same genus). There are other less common reasons for naming a species 'neglecta'. There are hundreds (thousands?) of species named neglecta. This is just one of them.

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Because it is overshadowed by it's prettier cousin, the Monarch?

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@nach,

That makes more sense than my theory.

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That butterfly is a neo nazi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/88_(number)#As_a_Neo-Nazi_symbol

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Great explanation, nach! Thank you!

@Staggerlee - 88 is also a good luck symbol in Chinese, so I guess it depends where the butterfly happens to be ;)

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And to add to the trivia, in crossword and cryptic puzzles, an "88" in the clue may refer to a piano (re # keys).

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But it's clearly a colon and a semi-colon. : ;

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