Butterfly

Quick Take

• Some butterfly species spend decades alive before becoming a butterfly, yet survive only a day or two in that final form.
• Not every butterfly sips nectar. One North American species has a surprisingly predatory diet. Discover carnivorous species →
• One butterfly family evolved with no way to eat at all, yet adults still exist. Explore butterfly families →
• Butterflies and ants have a hidden deal, and one side is getting the better end of it.

There are many different types of butterflies in the world, like swallowtails and monarchs. They come in a variety of colors, including blue, white, pink, and brown. The life cycle of each butterfly begins as a larva (caterpillar), then progresses through a pupa stage before emerging as an adult butterfly. Butterflies are found on every continent, except Antarctica.

5 Incredible Butterfly Facts

• There are approximately 17,500 to 20,000 species of butterflies in the world.
• Females of most species of butterflies are able to mate on the day of their emergence, but males have to wait several days.
• All adult butterflies live less than one year. Some species of butterflies can spend up to 30 years in earlier stages of their life cycle, but they may only live a day or two as an adult butterfly.
• Butterflies can fly up to 37 miles per hour.
• The largest butterfly in the world is the Queen Alexandra’s birdwing. This butterfly’s wingspan can measure around 25 to 28 centimetres (approximately 9.8 to 11 inches).

Species, Types, and Scientific Names

Butterflies are members of the Rhopalocera suborder. They are also members of the Arthropoda phylum and the Insecta class.

All butterflies and moths are members of the Lepidoptera order. In ancient Greek, the word “lepís “ means scale, while the word “pterón” means wing, so this name aptly describes these insects. Lepidoptera is divided into 46 superfamilies and 126 families, but each completes the same life cycle. About 10% of all documented living creatures on Earth are butterflies and moths, with the known 180,000 species of Lepidoptera representing the greatest number of species found in Peru and Colombia.

Butterflies are divided into six families. The Hesperiidae contains more than 3,500 species, including:

• Pyrrhopyginae: These South American and Central American stout-bodied butterflies have about a 2-inch wingspan, and they live in forest canopies.
• Pyrginae: These temperate and tropical butterflies live near the ground, and they often rest with their wings held flat.
• Hesperiinae: These brown-and-orange butterflies, with about a 2-inch wingspan similar to a swallowtail’s, live in temperate and tropical areas, including England.
• Coeliadinae: Often called policemen and awls, these butterflies live in Africa, Australia, and the Orient.
• Euschemoniinae: The only member of this subfamily is the Regent Skipper from Australia.

Another family of butterflies is the Papilionidae. These are often called swallowtails because there is often a small extension on their hind wings. The caterpillars of these butterflies possess an extra organ, called an osmaterium, that emits a foul smell as a defense mechanism. Members of this family can be all different colors, including pink:

• Papilioninae: Many of these butterflies live in the Orient while others live in New Guinea, but they all flutter extremely quickly.
• Parnassiinae: These semi-transparent butterflies that can have a pink tint mostly live in Asia, but there are three species in North America and three in Europe. They are poisonous to all vertebrates.
• Baroniinae: Mexico’s orange-and-brown Baronia brevicornis, which looks similar to a Monarch, is the only member of this subfamily.

The next family is the Pieridae, and there are about 1,100 species in this family. These are found around the world, and most are brightly colored. They include the:

• Pierinae: These generalist butterflies that often have a white ground marked with black, orange, or yellow live all around the world from alpine meadows to tropical rainforests.
• Dismorphiinae: These tropical butterflies are sexually dimorphic, and many are mimetic.

The next family is the Lycaenidae, and there are approximately 4,700 to 5,000 species in this family. These small butterflies often have a metallic blue or coppery upper side, and they often live with ants that help protect them; in return, the ants obtain a sugary substance from the butterflies. Members of this large subfamily include:

• Theclinae: These butterflies often live in the neotropics, usually have white hairline streaks, and usually have tails on their hindwings.
• Polyommatinae: The males of this subfamily generally have blue uppersides while females have orange ones, but they both have many dark spots on their undersides.
• Lycaeninae: Males of this subfamily that live in New Zealand and the Holarctic region set up territories where they defend against all insects.
• Poritiinae: These rainforest and cloud forest butterflies live in Asia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Sulawesi, and they are some of the most iridescent butterflies in the world.
• Miletinae: These brown-and-white carnivorous butterflies live in Southeast Asia, Africa, and North America.
• Lipteninae: There are about 522 species of this butterfly that live in Africa, where they normally live on or near fig trees.
• Liphyrinae: These African butterflies do not have a sucking instrument, called a proboscis, so they cannot eat.

Another family of butterflies is the Riodinidae, although some classification schemes list them as a subfamily of the Lycaenidae family. There are about 1,500 species of these butterflies. These butterflies are small, and they may have a metallic color. Subfamilies include:

• Riodinidae: These small butterflies from South and Central America often have bright metallic colors.
• Euselasiinae: There are at least 172 members of this subfamily that live under leaves in the neotropical region.

Once considered separate families with their own scientific names, butterflies in the Nymphalidae classification all have very small forelegs that are useless for walking. There are about 6,000 different species that scientists usually divide into 22 subfamilies, including:

• Libytheinae: These butterflies that live in diverse locations globally have the ability to camouflage themselves so that they look like dead leaves.
• Nymphalinae: These are brush-footed butterflies that live around the globe.
• Heliconiinae: These small butterflies are often called passion-vine butterflies.
• Acraeinae: These butterflies are often orange and black and live in Africa, Brazil, and Venezuela.
• Danainae: The larvae of these butterflies get toxins from their food and pass them on to the adult butterfly so that birds do not like their taste.
• Morphinae: Some of the biggest butterflies in the world, they usually have eyespots on their wings, which they can use as decoys to evade predators.

Evolution and Origins

Butterflies are insects and are closely related to moths, sharing a common ancestor within the insect order Lepidoptera. The earliest known butterfly fossils date back to the mid-Eocene period, around 40 million years ago. During the early stages of their evolution, butterflies were likely small and dull-colored, similar to many moths today.

Over time, they evolved to become larger and more brightly colored through adaptation to different environments and to better attract mates. Their evolution is also thought to have been influenced by plant development, as many butterflies evolved to feed on specific plant types, while plants in turn evolved defenses against butterfly predation.

Appearance

Butterflies are very diverse insects. They have a three-part body consisting of the head, thorax, and abdomen. They also have six legs and two antennae. Most have scales on their wings and hair on their legs. They have compound eyes that they can use to see very well.

The biggest butterfly is Queen Alexandra’s birdwing, which is cared for by the staff at the Natural History Museum in London. Its wingspan is about 10.7 inches. The smallest butterfly is the Western pygmy blue butterfly, which lives in California, Mexico, and Central America. Its wingspan measures about 0.5 inches across.

Habitat

Butterflies live in many different types of habitats, as they can be found on every continent, except Antarctica. You can find some butterflies in deserts while others live in rainforests. Some live where it is very hot, while others live in more moderate climates.

The highest number of different species of butterflies in the world is found in Peru. Many of them live in the Manu National Park, where over 1,300 species of butterflies have been recorded. Other countries with diverse butterfly populations include Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador.

Diet

Most butterflies have one or two host plants that they prefer to dine on. While most prefer to suck the nectar out of plants as adults, some are carnivorous. For example, North America’s harvester butterfly eats only living wooly aphids.

Other species get nutrients from decaying plants. These species are often found in monsoon regions. The butterflies, like Gluphisia crenata, drink the water. Then, they release the fluids through their anal glands. This allows them to get salts and amino acids that their bodies need to thrive.