Jamaica is an island nation floating in the Caribbean Sea, roughly the size of Akita Prefecture, located south of Cuba and east of the Dominican Republic. It was discovered by Columbus in 1494 and was ruled by Spain in the 16th century and by Britain from the 17th century onwards. In 1962, it became the first British Caribbean colony to gain independence, and since then, it has evolved into a constitutional democracy that recognizes Queen Elizabeth as its head of state, forming part of the British Commonwealth.
Among the 16 types of regular postage stamps issued from Jamaica in 1964, there was one stamp depicting a butterfly. In 1970, a definitive issue regular stamp was released, changing the denomination from pounds/pence to decimal dollars/cents, with a value of 5 cents.
From 1975 to 1978, a series of butterfly stamps was issued in three phases, accurately depicting the tops and bottoms of the wings or male and female butterflies.
Jamaica
1964.5.4/1970.9.7 Regular Stamp
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Jamaican Giant Swallowtail Papilio homerus (Papilionidae) |
Jamaican Giant Swallowtail Papilio homerus (Papilionidae) |
1975.8.25 Butterfly Stamp (primary)
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Zebra Swallowtail Eurytides marcellinus (Papilionidae) |
Thoas Swallowtail Papilio thoas (Papilionidae) |
Thersites Swallowtail Papilio thersites (Papilionidae) |
Jamaican Swallowtail Papilio homerus (Papilionidae) |
1977.5.9 Butterfly Stamp (secondary)
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False Barred Yellow (Upr:male,Lwr:female) Eurema elathea (Pieridae) |
Jamaican Dynamine (Upr:male,Lwr:female) Dynamine egaea (Nymphalidae) |
Jamaican Endemic (Upr:male,Lwr:female) Atlantea pantoni (Nymphalidae) |
Danaid Eggfly (Upr:male,Lwr:female) Hypolimnas misippus (Nymphalidae) |
1978.4.17 Butterfly Stamp (tertiary)
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Hairstreak Cyanophrys crethona (Lycaenidae) |
Malachite Butterfly Siproeta stelenes (Nymphalidae) |
Long-tailed Skipper Urbanus proteus (Hesperiidae) |
Florida Leafwing Anaea troglodyta (Nymphalidae) |
In Jamaica, there is a wonderful endemic species called the Jamaican Giant Swallowtail. With a wingspan of 13 cm, it is the largest type of swallowtail butterfly found in North and South America.