Saurona

Saurona is a genus of butterfly belonging to the family Nymphalidae found in the Neotropics.

This genus was proposed as a new genus in 2023.

Saurona currently has two species classified within it[1][2] but there are thought to be many more undescribed species.

[3][4] Saurona is named after the fictional Sauron, the villain from Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Tolkien described Sauron's all-seeing eye as follows: “The Eye was rimmed with fire, but was itself glazed, yellow as a cat’s, watchful and intent, and the black slit of its pupil opened on a pit, a window into nothing.” These butterflies have distinctive eyespots of bright orange and black.