Vanuatu's Reserve Bank has issued a long run of wildlife-themed silver pieces aimed squarely at the thematic collector market, and this Milionia paradisea — a day-flying moth endemic to the island of New Guinea — fits that pattern precisely. Little about the monetary history of Vanuatu bears on this coin's existence; it was never intended for circulation and the denomination is nominal against any real purchasing context in Port Vila.
Milionia paradisea belongs to the family Geometridae, unusual among moths for its diurnal habits and striking coloration that more closely resembles a butterfly. The species was first formally described by de Haan in 1840.
Vanuatu's Reserve Bank has issued a long run of wildlife-themed silver pieces aimed squarely at the thematic collector market, and this Milionia paradisea — a day-flying moth endemic to the island of New Guinea — fits that pattern precisely. Little about the monetary history of Vanuatu bears on this coin's existence; it was never intended for circulation and the denomination is nominal against any real purchasing context in Port Vila.
Milionia paradisea belongs to the family Geometridae, unusual among moths for its diurnal habits and striking coloration that more closely resembles a butterfly. The species was first formally described by de Haan in 1840.