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While the butterflies form a monophyletic group, the moths, which comprise the rest of the Lepidoptera, do not. Many attempts have been made to group the superfamilies of the Lepidoptera into natural groups, most of which fail because one of the two groups is not monophyletic: Microlepidoptera and Macrolepidoptera, Heterocera and Rhopalocera, Jugatae and Frenatae, Monotrysia and Ditrysia.
Ditrysia is a clade of lepidopterans that contains both butterflies and a majority of moth species. They are named for the fact that the female has two distinct sexual openings: one for mating, and the other for laying eggs. About 98% of known Lepidoptera species belong to Ditrysia.
Media in category "Images of butterflies and moths" This category contains only the following file. Plate II Kallima butterfly from Animal Coloration by Frank Evers Beddard 1892.jpg 1,695 × 2,722; 1.77 MB
Lepidoptera (/ ˌ l ɛ p ɪ ˈ d ɒ p t ər ə / LEP-ih-DOP-tər-ə) or lepidopterans is an order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths.About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organisms, [1] [2] making it the second largest insect order (behind Coleoptera) with 126 families [3] and 46 superfamilies ...
Butterflies of the Parnassinae (Family Papilionidae) and some Acraeini (Family Nymphalidae) add a post-copulatory plug, called the sphragis, to the abdomen of the female after copulation preventing her from mating again. [2] The females of some moths have a scent-emitting organ located at the tip of the abdomen. [4]
Butterflies and moths can see ultraviolet (UV) light and wing colors and patterns are principally observed by Lepidoptera in these wavelengths of light. [13] The patterns seen on their wing under UV light differ considerably from those seen in normal light. The UV patterns act as visual cues that help differentiate between species for mating.
Males can fly for miles in order to reach a female. After the moths mate, the female spends the majority of the remainder of her life laying eggs, while the male may mate several more times. Adults of this family of moths have vestigial mouths, meaning their mouthparts have been reduced. Because of this, they do not eat and only live for about ...
The caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis and emerges a butterfly. In the adult stage, within a few hours of emerging, the butterfly's wings dry and expand, allowing it to fly. During this stage, the butterfly focuses on reproduction and finding a mate. Once the female is fertilized, the cycle begins again.