#43: Butterflies & Moths - What's the Difference?

Litinsects #43: Butterflies & Moths - What's the Difference?

What’s the difference between butterflies and moths? They both belong to the same order 🦋 LEPIDOPTERA, meaning „scale-wings“ (I talked about these scales back in my day 8 post).

Taxonomically speaking, butterflies are a MONOPHYLETIC group within Lepidoptera and moths are PARAPHYLETIC and I am fully aware that if you haven’t studied biology you will have absolutely no idea what that just meant… basically, all butterflies share common ancestry and can be considered a specialized group within the larger group of moths.

General differences include:

Resting wing position: Moths tend to hold their wings FLAT out to the sides or tent-like over their backs and butterflies rest with their wings closed VERTICALLY over their backs. Butterflies do sometimes open their wings flat to bask in the sun though

Behavior: Moths tend to to be NOCTURNAL (active at night) whereas butterflies are DIURNAL (active during the day)

Pupal stage: Moth caterpillars spin COCOONS made of silk, however butterfly caterpillars form a smooth, hard covering called a CHRYSALIS

Antennae shape: Butterflies have long thin antennae with small club or bulb-like structures at the tips. Moths can have widely diverse antennae shapes but very often they will be either long and thin (without bulbs) or feathery/comb-shaped

Color: Because moths are nocturnal, they are generally duller or more drab in color to help camouflage them from predators. Butterflies, are often decked out in brilliant colors because they fly by day and many locate their mates visually

General appearance: Moths tend to have thicker bodies and fuzzier wings, whereas butterflies usually have thinner bodies and look smoother. This is mostly due to the size of the insects’ scales; those of butterflies are smaller than those of moths

Of course there are numerous exceptions to each of these points. To quote the amazing Pirates of the Caribbean: „they’re more like guidelines than actual rules“. 😆 But generally speaking, you should now be able to tell the difference.

Comments

#8: Butterfly Wings

Litinsects #8: Butterfly Wings Have you ever heard that you shouldn’t touch a butterfly’s wings or it will die? Well why is that...? Who remembers what I explained yesterday about Latin names? Butterflies and moths belong to the group LEPIDOPTERA, from the Greek words lepis for scale and pteron for wing. You probably guessed it already: butterfly wings are covered in SCALES! (Anyone starting to see a pattern with the names here? 😉 ) Butterfly scales are actually modified, flattened SETAE (aka hairs) that either partially or entirely cover the wings of most species. Some look like roof tiles, like on this here monarch, while some look more thread-like Scales protect and insulate the insect, but underneath the wing is actually transparent! Some species, like the GLASSWING BUTTERFLY, lack scales and have totally amazing see-through wings! Scales are responsible for the coloration of butterfly wings in one of two ways. First of all, scales contain

#60: Cockroaches

Litinsects #60: Cockroaches Cockroaches belong to the order BLATTODEA, which is derived from the Greek word “blatta” meaning cockroach. Did you know that the Blattodea contains cockroaches AND termites? That’s right; termites are actually considered a specialized group of cockroaches! They used to be classified in an entirely different order of insects but recent genetic studies found a closer relation to cockroaches than previously thought. -Roaches are characterized by their broad, flat bodies. They have long antennae and generalized chewing mouthparts. In contrast to many other insects, which have 3, cockroaches have only 2 ocelli (or simple eyes) -Most people consider roaches to be disgusting, disease-spreading pests. But of 4,500 species, only 30 live in human habitats and are considered pests -The common name is derived from the Spanish word for the insect, “cucaracha” -Cockroaches can be found in a wide variety of habitats around the world. Many live in the tropics but

#41: Centipedes

© Didier Descouens Litinsects #41: Centipedes Now for the centipedes! If you missed my last post on millipedes, go back and check it out... So how do they differ from millipedes? Unlike millipedes, which are mainly detritivores, centipedes are VENOMOUS and PREDATORY. Millipedes have a more cylindrical body whereas centipedes are usually flattened. Millipedes have (as the Latin name Diplopoda suggests) two leg pair per body segment but centipedes have only one pair per segment. As for the number of legs, centipedes can range from having 15 to about 170 pairs; this is generally fewer than millipedes have but it’s not always the case. Finally, millipedes tend to travel pretty slowly while centipedes are fast runners. Centipedes make up the group CHILOPODA. In Greek, “khelios” means lip and “poda” means foot. The name describes a pair of pincer-like appendages called FORCIPULES, located right behind the head, with which they inject venom to paralyze prey. So the “bite” of a centipe

Litinsects

Search This Blog