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The butterflies form the clade Rhopalocera, which is composed of three superfamilies: Hedyloidea (the moth butterfly family Hedylidae), the Hesperioidea (the skipper family Hesperiidae), and the Papilionoidea (the true butterfly families Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Lycaenidae, and Riodinidae). All of these families are monophyletic.
The eyes of butterflies are usually brown, golden brown, or even red as in the case of some species of skippers. [ 11 ] While most insects have three simple eyes, or ocelli , only two ocelli are present in all species of Lepidoptera, except a few moths, one on each side of the head near the edge of the compound eye.
Heliconius butterflies have been a subject of many studies, due partly to their abundance and the relative ease of breeding them under laboratory conditions, but also because of the extensive mimicry that occurs in this group.
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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 ...
Along with its wingspan, the Polyommatinae is a small butterfly. [2] There are only 38 total species within the Polyommatinae sub family, with only two being from Europe. [7] Most species of the Polyommatinae are found on the eastern side of the United States. [2] Male Polyommantinae blue butterflies possess a complex system of androconia.
The colourful patterns on many butterfly wings tell potential predators that they are toxic. Hence, the genetic basis of wing pattern formation can illuminate both the evolution of butterflies as well as their developmental biology. The colour of butterfly wings is derived from tiny structures called scales, each of which have their own pigments.
The Lepidoptera fossil record encompasses all butterflies and moths that lived before recorded history. The fossil record for Lepidoptera is lacking in comparison to other winged species, and tending not to be as common as some other insects in the habitats that are most conducive to fossilization , such as lakes and ponds, and their juvenile ...