General description Butterfly

butterfly antennal shapes, clubbed, unlike of moths. drawn c. t. bingham, 1905




unlike butterflies, moths (like laothoe populi) fly night , hide day.

butterfly adults characterized 4 scale-covered wings, give lepidoptera name (ancient greek λεπίς lepís, scale + πτερόν pterón, wing). these scales give butterfly wings colour: pigmented melanins give them blacks , browns, uric acid derivatives , flavones give them yellows, many of blues, greens, reds , iridescent colours created structural coloration produced micro-structures of scales , hairs.

as in insects, body divided 3 sections: head, thorax, , abdomen. thorax composed of 3 segments, each pair of legs. in families of butterfly antennae clubbed, unlike of moths may threadlike or feathery. long proboscis can coiled when not in use sipping nectar flowers.

nearly butterflies diurnal, have relatively bright colours, , hold wings vertically above bodies when @ rest, unlike majority of moths fly night, cryptically coloured (well camouflaged), , either hold wings flat (touching surface on moth standing) or fold them closely on bodies. day-flying moths, such hummingbird hawk-moth, exceptions these rules.

butterfly larvae, caterpillars, have hard (sclerotised) head strong mandibles used cutting food, leaves. have cylindrical bodies, ten segments abdomen, short prolegs on segments 3–6 , 10; 3 pairs of true legs on thorax have 5 segments each. many camouflaged; others aposematic bright colours , bristly projections containing toxic chemicals obtained food plants. pupa or chrysalis, unlike of moths, not wrapped in cocoon.

many butterflies sexually dimorphic. butterflies have zw sex-determination system females heterogametic sex (zw) , males homogametic (zz).