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.

Species
Saurona currently has two species classified within it but there are thought to be many more undescribed species.

Etymology
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.