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The body or 'blade' of a typical scale consists of an upper and lower lamina. The surface of the lower lamina is smooth whereas the structure of the upper lamina is structured and intricate. Scales are attached to the substrate by a stalk or 'pedicel'. [1] The scales cling somewhat loosely to the wing and come off easily without harming the insect.
Wing scales form the colour and pattern on wings. The scales shown here are lamellar. The pedicel can be seen attached to a few loose scales. The wings of Lepidoptera are minutely scaled, which gives the name to this order; the name Lepidoptera was coined in 1735 by Carl Linnaeus for the group of "insects
Scales on a luna moth (Actias luna) Generalized structure of a keeled, lanceolate scale from a jumping spider. Butterflies and moths - the order Lepidoptera (Greek "scale-winged") - have membranous wings covered in delicate, powdery scales, which are modified setae. Each scale consists of a series of tiny stacked platelets of organic material ...
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 ...
All species of the Lycaenidae family, except Genus of Everes, lack tails on the hindwing. The Polyommatinae has a false head on the back of its wings. [4] Almost all Polyommatinae have dots on the underside of its wings, with a medium to small wingspan ranging from .6-1.25 inches. Along with its wingspan, the Polyommatinae is a small butterfly. [2]
Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax ), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwings , respectively, though a few insects lack hindwings, even rudiments.
The colour originates from coherent scattering and interference of light by the microstructure of the ribbon-like scales covering the moth's wings. [ 7 ] [ 13 ] These structural characteristics make this species and its Neotropical relative Urania common subjects of research in optical science .
The moth's wings lack the large amount of scales found in most other lepidopterans, particularly in the centralized regions, making them appear clear. It loses the scales on its wings early after the pupa stage by its highly active flight tendencies. Hemaris diffinis is an excellent bumblebee mimic.