It was during a trip for bird watchers to New Zealand that nature profiler and biologist Pav Johnsson made the special discovery.
Back at the hotel after birdwatching, he took out his UV lamp to attract insects and took some sporadic pictures of moths landing on the wall next door.
And it wasn’t until a few weeks after returning to Sweden that it became clear what a unique find he had made.
– I have rediscovered a moth in New Zealand that no one has seen for 65 years and that many thought was extinct, says Pav Johnsson.
Sensation in New Zealand
The find has since received a lot of attention on New Zealand television, and the Natural History Museum in London has also been contacted.
The butterfly species, known as the Frosted Phoenix in English, has only been seen ten times before and the last time was in 1959.
– I was lucky to be in the right place, says Pav Johnsson.
Hear more about the unique discovery in the clip.