Butterflies (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain everything about butterflies, their habitat, food and other characteristics. Also, its life cycle and differences with moths.

What are butterflies?

It is known by the popular name of butterfly. the different existing species of lepidopteran insects (from Greek lepsis“scales”, and pteron“wings”), almost always flying, among the most numerous among all the insects on the planet. Some species have diurnal habits and others nocturnal, but nocturnal species are the majority (and the least popular). There are around 165,000 species different types of butterflies, classified into 127 families.

Butterflies have attracted the attention of humans since ancient times. In part this is due to the amazing colors and patterns of the diurnals' wings, and their attraction to flowers. In addition, their larvae, called caterpillars, provide food for numerous species of living beings in nature.

On the other hand, it also presents a mystery since In their life cycle, metamorphosis plays a central role. Perhaps for this reason, ancient cultures reserved an important place for them in their imagination and mythology.

In various traditions, the butterfly usually represents beauty, purity or harmony, but also change, the transition from something imperfect and temporary, to something wonderful and eternal. Many religions saw in the fate of butterflies an equivalent to the fate of the human soul. So much so that the ancient Greeks called the butterfly psychea term also used for the soul and conscience.

However, the diversity of names given to butterflies in the West is enormous, and there does not seem to be much relationship between them. Its name in Spanish comes from the union of Mary, for the Catholic virgin, and the verb to pose, probably the result of some children's or religious song of yesteryear.

But in English they are called butterflyin German schmetterlingin Portuguese borboletain French papillon and in Italian farfalla. Not to mention the specific names of each species.

Characteristics of butterflies

butterfly characteristics chrysality pupa — Butterflies go through metamorphosis through a chrysalis stage.

Broadly speaking, we can characterize butterflies as follows:

are arthropods and insects That is, they have a segmented body provided with articulated limbs, with a chitin exoskeleton that covers it. Furthermore, being insects, they have three pairs of legs, a pair of antennae and two pairs of membranous wings, which in the case of butterflies are covered with colored scales.
Day and night habits Butterflies are flying animals, which are mostly active at night. However, we know the diurnal species (butterflies) much better than the nocturnal species (called moths).
Complex life cycle Before reaching adulthood, butterflies must hatch from an egg in the form of a larva or caterpillar, feed tenaciously until they gather enough nutrients and, after a few weeks, spin a cocoon or pupa, within which metamorphosis will occur. Finally, the imago or flying adult will emerge from the cocoon.
Migratory animals Many species of butterflies travel hundreds of kilometers on their trips from one geography to another, according to climatic trends, to reproduce and lay their eggs. Some of them are among the animal species that travel the furthest distance on these trips, going from one continent to another.
Wing coloration The wings of diurnal species have very attractive colors, with specific patterns, often designed as a method of camouflage, with false eyes (to imitate a predator), or colors similar to those of other poisonous insects. These colors also serve to signal each other or for courtship.
Sexual and oviparous reproduction Adult butterflies, like all insects, are sexual beings (female and male) and reproduce by laying eggs, from which larvae emerge when they are fully formed.

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Types of butterflies

butterfly types — Glossata butterflies have a coiling proboscis.

Butterflies can be classified as diurnal and nocturnal, or using more specialized criteria, they can be organized into four different suborders, which are:

Zeuglóptera. Where there are around 110 species of the most primitive lepidopterans of all, equipped with jaws instead of proboscises, with a small size (5 to 12mm in wingspan).
Aglossata. Another order of primitive butterflies equipped with long jaws and labial palps, has a single family of insects known as Agatiphagain turn composed of two species from the South Pacific region (Australia and the Solomon Islands). They have a particularly low and slow metabolism, which allows them during their caterpillar stage to survive breaks lasting 12 years.
Heterobathmiina. The third set of primitive butterflies have diurnal habits unlike the previous two and still constitute a mystery for zoology, given that most of their species have not yet been described. They have metallic colored wings and are typical of southern South America.
Glossata. The largest and most populated of all the suborders, where 99% of current butterflies are found, and includes all families that have a coiling proboscis. Its main families are:
- Hesperiidae. Composed of more than 3,000 species of small butterflies, with a large head and wide thorax, with highly curved antennae separated at the base.
- Lycenidae. Composed of almost half of the species of diurnal butterflies (around 6,000 different species), they usually have a small wingspan and bright colors on the upper side of their wings.
- Nymphalidae. Composed of medium to large sized butterflies, with very bright colors and a pair of legs (front) shorter than the others.
- Pieridae. Composed of thousands of species of small butterflies with white or yellowish wings, many of which deposit larvae that are dangerous for human crops.
- Papilionidae. Composed of the best-known species of butterflies in the world, with bright colors and diurnal habits, equipped with an extension of the wings at the bottom, like “tails”.
- Saturniidae. Composed of the largest nocturnal species of butterflies, many of which have false eyes (ocelli) on their wings, to mislead predators.

Butterfly Habitat

Butterflies are terrestrial flying animals, which live on all continental shelves, except Antarctica. tend to prefer environments with a lot of vegetation especially those that feed on nectar, since flowers and food opportunities for caterpillars abound there.

The highest concentration of species is found in tropical forests and lowland and piedmont forests although they can be found adapted to almost all habitats. There are also urban species, generally moths, whose grayish or brown color adapts to the polluted environment full of concrete.

Butterflies feeding

butterfly feeding — The butterfly caterpillar can become a pest in plantations.

During its larval or caterpillar stage butterflies have a mandibular apparatus with which they consume enormous amounts of organic plant matter such as leaves, stems, roots, fruits, and can constitute true pests in human plantations. Depending on the species, these caterpillars can even be carnivorous, feeding on other smaller insects.

Adult butterflies feed mostly on floral nectar and other liquid substances that they can suck or lick using their proboscis-shaped mouthparts (a kind of retractable tongue). That is why they frequent flowers, thus carrying out an important task of plant pollination.

However, there are also species equipped with a chewing system that allows them to ingest pollen, fungal spores and other similar substances, or parasitic species that feed on the blood of higher animals. There are even species whose adult life is extremely short and focused frenetically on reproduction, so that they do not even have the means to feed themselves.

Butterfly life cycle

The life cycle of butterflies involves a complete metamorphosis (that is, the initial stages are nothing like the final ones) and includes four different stages, which are:

Eggs The eggs of butterflies, like those of other insects, are small in size and are generally laid in clusters by the female, in a location that varies depending on the species. Some in plants, rocks, in the soil or there are even a few species that must deposit them in the water, since their larvae are aquatic life. These eggs eventually hatch, releasing a single caterpillar from each.
Larvae Called caterpillars, their primary function is to feed and gather enough nutrients to undertake the complex process of metamorphosis that leads to adulthood. Their habits, morphologies and behaviors can, however, vary enormously with the species. Some caterpillars are poisonous, others have colors that imitate those of poisonous ones, some are voracious devourers of plants and a few prefer different foods.
Chrysalises Eventually, the larvae reach the level necessary to undertake a stage of profound changes, and to do so they choose a suitable location, weave a cocoon with materials secreted by themselves, and lock themselves inside for the amount of time necessary to transform into adult butterflies. This stage is also known as “pupa”.
Imagos When the metamorphosis is complete, the adult insect emerges from the chrysalis, breaking its bark and waiting for its still wet wings to expand and dry enough to take flight. In this phase of adulthood, the butterfly will radically change its habits and feeding methods, and will dedicate itself to reproducing to perpetuate the cycle.

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Butterflies and moths

night butterfly moth — Night butterflies or moths are attracted to light.

We commonly distinguish between diurnal and nocturnal butterflies, as if they were radically different species, when in reality they are not. For the daytime ones we reserve the name butterflies, while We call nocturnal butterflies moths sphinxes or peacocks, among others.

Although there are numerous species that vary in color, shapes and habits, moths generally lack vibrant colors and patterns like the daytime ones, and they tend to be brownish and dark. It is common for these insects to approach lamps, attracted by their brightness, which they confuse with that of the moon, which they probably use to guide their flight.

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