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105-444: The queen butterfly ( Danaus gilippus ) is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae with a wingspan of 80–85 mm ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 8 – 3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in). It is orange or brown with black wing borders and small white forewing spots on its dorsal wing surface, and reddish ventral wing surface fairly similar to the dorsal surface. The ventral hindwings have black veins and small white spots in

210-637: A diapause (resting) stage, and the hatching may take place only in spring. Some temperate region butterflies, such as the Camberwell beauty , lay their eggs in the spring and have them hatch in the summer. Butterfly larvae, or caterpillars, consume plant leaves and spend practically all of their time searching for and eating food. Although most caterpillars are herbivorous, a few species are predators : Spalgis epius eats scale insects , while lycaenids such as Liphyra brassolis are myrmecophilous , eating ant larvae. Some larvae, especially those of

315-455: A black border. The male has a black androconial scent patch on its dorsal hindwings. It can be found in meadows, fields, marshes, deserts, and at the edges of forests. This species is possibly a close relative to the similarly colored soldier butterfly (or tropical queen, D. eresimus ), in any case, it is not close to the plain tiger ( D. chrysippus , African queen) as was long believed. There are seven subspecies . Females lay one egg at

420-493: A butterfly cannot fly until the wings are unfolded. A newly emerged butterfly needs to spend some time inflating its wings with hemolymph and letting them dry, during which time it is extremely vulnerable to predators. 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

525-570: A butterfly through metamorphosis has held great appeal to mankind. To transform from the miniature wings visible on the outside of the pupa into large structures usable for flight, the pupal wings undergo rapid mitosis and absorb a great deal of nutrients. If one wing is surgically removed early on, the other three will grow to a larger size. In the pupa, the wing forms a structure that becomes compressed from top to bottom and pleated from proximal to distal ends as it grows, so that it can rapidly be unfolded to its full adult size. Several boundaries seen in

630-417: A common family. In some species, such as the great spangled fritillary , the eggs are deposited close to but not on the food plant. This most likely happens when the egg overwinters before hatching and where the host plant loses its leaves in winter, as do violets in this example. The egg stage lasts a few weeks in most butterflies, but eggs laid close to winter, especially in temperate regions, go through

735-414: A day. Male organs called hair-pencils play an important role in courtship, with males with lower hair-pencil counts being selected against. These hair-pencils may be involved in releasing pheromones during courtship that could attract female mates. The queen is a member of the genus Danaus , which includes D. plexippus (monarch) and D. eresimus (soldier). It is of the family Nymphalidae of

840-571: A family ( Danaidae ) that is common to both New and Old Worlds , specifically found throughout the tropics and into the temperate regions of the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Stray specimens are found in Europe. The queen is chiefly a tropical species. In the US, it is usually confined to the southern portion of the country. It can be found regularly in peninsular Florida and southern Georgia, as well as in

945-576: A few butterflies (e.g., harvesters ) eat harmful insects, and a few are predators of ants , while others live as mutualists in association with ants. Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts. The Smithsonian Institution says "butterflies are certainly one of the most appealing creatures in nature". The Oxford English Dictionary derives the word straightforwardly from Old English butorflēoge , butter-fly; similar names in Old Dutch and Old High German show that

1050-444: A few species. Some butterflies have organs of hearing and some species make stridulatory and clicking sounds. Many species of butterfly maintain territories and actively chase other species or individuals that may stray into them. Some species will bask or perch on chosen perches. The flight styles of butterflies are often characteristic and some species have courtship flight displays. Butterflies can only fly when their temperature

1155-416: A flattened base and slightly truncated top, and is longitudinally ribbed with raised cross-lines between the ridges. Compared to that of the monarch butterfly , the egg of the queen butterfly is taller relative to its width. The mature queen caterpillar is darker and not as brightly colored as the monarch caterpillar. It is nearly identical to the caterpillar of Danaus chrysippus . In the larval stage ,

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1260-606: A hard-ridged outer layer of shell, called the chorion . This is lined with a thin coating of wax which prevents the egg from drying out before the larva has had time to fully develop. Each egg contains a number of tiny funnel-shaped openings at one end, called micropyles ; the purpose of these holes is to allow sperm to enter and fertilize the egg. Butterfly eggs vary greatly in size and shape between species, but are usually upright and finely sculptured. Some species lay eggs singly, others in batches. Many females produce between one hundred and two hundred eggs. Butterfly eggs are fixed to

1365-499: A larval host plant known to be a very poor cardenolide source, contain no detectable cardenolide and are essentially palatable to predators. These highly variable responses of avian predators to queens reared on different plants suggest the existence of a food-plant-related palatability spectrum in Florida queen butterflies. Micro-geographic differences in the environment lead to variation in the dynamics of mimetic relationships even at

1470-508: A leaf before eggs are laid on it. Many butterflies use chemical signals, pheromones ; some have specialized scent scales ( androconia ) or other structures ( coremata or "hair pencils" in the Danaidae). Vision is well developed in butterflies and most species are sensitive to the ultraviolet spectrum. Many species show sexual dimorphism in the patterns of UV reflective patches. Colour vision may be widespread but has been demonstrated in only

1575-416: A leaf with a special glue which hardens rapidly. As it hardens it contracts, deforming the shape of the egg. This glue is easily seen surrounding the base of every egg forming a meniscus. The nature of the glue has been little researched but in the case of Pieris brassicae , it begins as a pale yellow granular secretion containing acidophilic proteins. This is viscous and darkens when exposed to air, becoming

1680-583: A local level. Spatiotemporal variation throughout different areas lead to large differences in unpalatability of queens separated by only a few kilometers. This extensive variation supports the idea that automimicy occurs at the intrapopulation level – palatable queens mimic individuals that have higher cardenolide content. By extension, interspecific mimicry is also highly variable. At hydric inland sites, which contain large numbers of A. curassavica , queens and viceroys are distasteful Müllerian mimics of one another, while at coastal sites queens probably serve as

1785-547: A longer lifespan of several months as adults. The thorax of the butterfly is devoted to locomotion. Each of the three thoracic segments has two legs (among nymphalids , the first pair is reduced and the insects walk on four legs). The second and third segments of the thorax bear the wings. The leading edges of the forewings have thick veins to strengthen them, and the hindwings are smaller and more rounded and have fewer stiffening veins. The forewings and hindwings are not hooked together ( as they are in moths ) but are coordinated by

1890-452: A necessity for their successful establishment. Many butterflies, such as the painted lady , monarch, and several danaine migrate for long distances. These migrations take place over a number of generations and no single individual completes the whole trip. The eastern North American population of monarchs can travel thousands of miles south-west to overwintering sites in Mexico . There is

1995-459: A protective covering for the pupa. Cocoons may be tough or soft, opaque or translucent, solid or meshlike, of various colors, or composed of multiple layers, depending on the type of insect larva producing it. Many moth caterpillars shed the larval hairs ( setae ) and incorporate them into the cocoon; if these are urticating hairs then the cocoon is also irritating to the touch. Some larvae attach small twigs, fecal pellets or pieces of vegetation to

2100-658: A reverse migration in the spring. It has recently been shown that the British painted lady undertakes a 9,000-mile round trip in a series of steps by up to six successive generations, from tropical Africa to the Arctic Circle — almost double the length of the famous migrations undertaken by monarch. Spectacular large-scale migrations associated with the monsoon are seen in peninsular India. Migrations have been studied in more recent times using wing tags and also using stable hydrogen isotopes . Butterflies navigate using

2205-412: A segmented palp. Adjoining these is the labium-hypopharynx which houses a tubular spinneret which is able to extrude silk. Caterpillars such as those in the genus Calpodes (family Hesperiidae) have a specialized tracheal system on the 8th segment that function as a primitive lung. Butterfly caterpillars have three pairs of true legs on the thoracic segments and up to six pairs of prolegs arising from

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2310-435: A silken girdle may be spun to keep the pupa in a head-up position. Most of the tissues and cells of the larva are broken down inside the pupa, as the constituent material is rebuilt into the imago. The structure of the transforming insect is visible from the exterior, with the wings folded flat on the ventral surface and the two halves of the proboscis, with the antennae and the legs between them. The pupal transformation into

2415-445: A specialized, scale-covered scent-pouch, on each of its dorsal hindwings. The positions and structures of androconia are used to identify different genera. The male also has an extensible hair-pencil on each side of its abdomen, which exudes sex pheromones . The abdominal hair-pencils, when in contact with the androconium scales, are able to disseminate pheromones near the female at integral stages of courtship . The queen belongs to

2520-425: A substantial contribution to queen distastefulness. Males patrol all day to seek females. Females can mate up to 15 times, a significantly higher number than other members of Lepidoptera. Courtship and mating typically happen in the afternoon. Once a male and a female mate, the butterflies may remain coupled for more than an hour. Mated pairs often rest on foliage high up in a tree. Later, the female will fly closer to

2625-479: A time on larval host plants. Larvae use these plants as a food source, whereas adult butterflies feed mainly on nectar from flowers. Unpalatability to avian predators is a feature of the butterfly; however, its level is highly variable. Unpalatability is correlated with the level of cardenolides obtained via the larval diet, but other compounds like alkaloids also play a part in promoting distastefulness. Males patrol to search for females, who may mate up to 15 times

2730-410: A time-compensated sun compass. They can see polarized light and therefore orient even in cloudy conditions. The polarized light near the ultraviolet spectrum appears to be particularly important. Many migratory butterflies live in semi-arid areas where breeding seasons are short. The life histories of their host plants also influence butterfly behaviour. Butterflies in their adult stage can live from

2835-541: A total of about 20,000 species. Traditionally, butterflies have been divided into the superfamilies Papilionoidea and the moth-like Hedyloidea . Recent work has discovered that Hedylidae, the only family within Hedyloidea, is nested within the Papilionoidea, meaning that Papilionoidea would be synonymous with Rhopalocera. The relationships between the rest of the 6 families are extremely well resolved, which

2940-470: A trend towards multivoltinism . Courtship is often aerial and often involves pheromones . Butterflies then land on the ground or on a perch to mate. Copulation takes place tail-to-tail and may last from minutes to hours. Simple photoreceptor cells located at the genitals are important for this and other adult behaviours. The male passes a spermatophore to the female; to reduce sperm competition, he may cover her with his scent, or in some species such as

3045-486: A tubular proboscis which is curled up at rest and expanded when needed to feed. The first and second maxillae bear palps which function as sensory organs. Some species have a reduced proboscis or maxillary palps and do not feed as adults. Many Heliconius butterflies also use their proboscis to feed on pollen; in these species only 20% of the amino acids used in reproduction come from larval feeding, which allow them to develop more quickly as caterpillars, and gives them

3150-437: A water-insoluble, rubbery material which soon sets solid. Butterflies in the genus Agathymus do not fix their eggs to a leaf; instead, the newly laid eggs fall to the base of the plant. Eggs are almost invariably laid on plants. Each species of butterfly has its own host plant range and while some species of butterfly are restricted to just one species of plant, others use a range of plant species, often including members of

3255-422: A week to nearly a year depending on the species. Many species have long larval life stages while others can remain dormant in their pupal or egg stages and thereby survive winters. The Melissa Arctic ( Oeneis melissa ) overwinters twice as a caterpillar. Butterflies may have one or more broods per year. The number of generations per year varies from temperate to tropical regions with tropical regions showing

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3360-407: Is a hard skin called a chrysalis. Because chrysalises are often showy and are formed in the open, they are the most familiar examples of pupae. Most chrysalides are attached to a surface by a Velcro -like arrangement of a silken pad spun by the caterpillar , usually cemented to the underside of a perch, and the cremastral hook or hooks protruding from the rear of the chrysalis or cremaster at

3465-450: Is above 27 °C (81 °F); when it is cool, they can position themselves to expose the underside of the wings to the sunlight to heat themselves up. If their body temperature reaches 40 °C (104 °F), they can orientate themselves with the folded wings edgewise to the sun. Basking is an activity which is more common in the cooler hours of the morning. Some species have evolved dark wingbases to help in gathering more heat and this

3570-435: Is black with white rings. The caterpillar lacks spines , and there is no hair on its body. The pupa is relatively short and thick, tapering rapidly at the end of the abdomen. It is pale green, rarely pale pink, and is frequently ornamented with golden spots. A black transverse band edged with gold is on the abdomen. Below this black abdominal band lies another one in blue. The pupa has very few projections; most notably, it

3675-458: Is derived from tiny structures called scales, each of which have their own pigments . In Heliconius butterflies, there are three types of scales: yellow/white, black, and red/orange/brown scales. Some mechanism of wing pattern formation are now being solved using genetic techniques. For instance, a gene called cortex determines the colour of scales: deleting cortex turned black and red scales yellow. Mutations, e.g. transposon insertions of

3780-468: Is easily distinguishable from its relative the monarch by its darker brown ground colour, and lack of stripes decorating the wings. The queen bears a closer resemblance to the soldier ( Danaus eresimus ). It possesses a very tough and flexible chitinous exoskeleton , unlike most other butterflies. Its wing coloration varies from bright, reddish brown to rich chocolate-brown, with black marginal bands that are dotted with white or yellow. The underside of

3885-403: Is especially evident in alpine forms. As in many other insects, the lift generated by butterflies is more than can be accounted for by steady-state, non-transitory aerodynamics . Studies using Vanessa atalanta in a wind tunnel show that they use a wide variety of aerodynamic mechanisms to generate force. These include wake capture , vortices at the wing edge, rotational mechanisms and

3990-410: Is extruded and inserted into the female's vagina. A spermatophore is deposited in the female, following which the sperm make their way to a seminal receptacle where they are stored for later use. In both sexes, the genitalia are adorned with various spines, teeth, scales and bristles, which act to prevent the butterfly from mating with an insect of another species. After it emerges from its pupal stage,

4095-451: Is good, especially in some species in the blue/violet range. The antennae are composed of many segments and have clubbed tips (unlike moths that have tapering or feathery antennae). The sensory receptors are concentrated in the tips and can detect odours. Taste receptors are located on the palps and on the feet. The mouthparts are adapted to sucking and the mandibles are usually reduced in size or absent. The first maxillae are elongated into

4200-525: Is native to the Americas, but in the nineteenth century or before, spread across the world, and is now found in Australia, New Zealand, other parts of Oceania, and the Iberian Peninsula . It is not clear how it dispersed; adults may have been blown by the wind or larvae or pupae may have been accidentally transported by humans, but the presence of suitable host plants in their new environment was

4305-437: Is one of many insects that derives chemical defenses against its predators from its food plant. Most of the toxic cardenolides that make queens so unpalatable to its predators are sequestered from larval host plants. For quite some time, the queen had been regarded as highly unpalatable to its vertebrate (mainly avian) predators. This is due to the fact that the queen, like its cousin the monarch, feeds largely on Asclepiads. As

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4410-465: Is restricted to the males, and studies have suggested that the nutrients collected may be provided as a nuptial gift , along with the spermatophore, during mating. In hilltopping , males of some species seek hilltops and ridge tops, which they patrol in search for females. Since it usually occurs in species with low population density, it is assumed these landscape points are used as meeting places to find mates. Butterflies use their antennae to sense

4515-698: Is summarized in the below cladogram. Papilionidae [REDACTED] Hedylidae [REDACTED] Hesperiidae [REDACTED] Pieridae [REDACTED] Nymphalidae [REDACTED] Lycaenidae [REDACTED] Riodinidae [REDACTED] Butterfly adults are characterized by their four scale-covered wings, which give the Lepidoptera their name ( Ancient Greek λεπίς lepís, scale + πτερόν pterón, wing). These scales give butterfly wings their colour: they are pigmented with melanins that give them blacks and browns, as well as uric acid derivatives and flavones that give them yellows, but many of

4620-479: Is suspended by a long cremaster from a button of silk. As such, the pupa resembles a pendant. In general, the pupa of the queen is smaller and more slender than that of the monarch. The queen butterfly is related to two species to which it bears a striking resemblance: the monarch ( Danaus plexippus ) and the soldier ( Danaus eresimus ). The queen is a moderately large butterfly, with an average wingspan of 3.1 inches (7.9 cm) to 3.3 inches (8.4 cm). It

4725-405: Is taken up by the gut, but there may also be large silk glands, and special glands which secrete distasteful or toxic substances. The developing wings are present in later stage instars and the gonads start development in the egg stage. When the larva is fully grown, hormones such as prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) are produced. At this point the larva stops feeding, and begins "wandering" in

4830-463: Is the pupal stage of butterflies . The term is derived from the metallic–gold coloration found in the pupae of many butterflies, referred to by the Ancient Greek term χρυσός ( chrysós ) for gold. When the caterpillar is fully grown, it makes a button of silk which it uses to fasten its body to a leaf or a twig. Then the caterpillar's skin comes off for the final time. Under this old skin

4935-512: Is the stage between the larva and adult stages. The chrysalis generally refers to a butterfly pupa although the term may be misleading as there are some moths whose pupae resembles a chrysalis, e.g.: the plume winged moths of the family Pterophoridae and some geometrid moths. A cocoon is a silk case that the larvae of moths, and sometimes other insects, spin around the pupa. A cocoon is a casing spun of silk by many moths and caterpillars , and numerous other holometabolous insect larvae as

5040-461: The Cretaceous . Butterflies have a four-stage life cycle , and like other holometabolous insects they undergo complete metamorphosis . Winged adults lay eggs on the food plant on which their larvae , known as caterpillars , will feed. The caterpillars grow, sometimes very rapidly, and when fully developed, pupate in a chrysalis . When metamorphosis is complete, the pupal skin splits,

5145-479: The Lycaenidae , form mutual associations with ants. They communicate with the ants using vibrations that are transmitted through the substrate as well as using chemical signals. The ants provide some degree of protection to these larvae and they in turn gather honeydew secretions . Large blue ( Phengaris arion ) caterpillars trick Myrmica ants into taking them back to the ant colony where they feed on

5250-474: The Weis-Fogh ' clap-and-fling ' mechanism. Butterflies are able to change from one mode to another rapidly. Butterflies are threatened in their early stages by parasitoids and in all stages by predators, diseases and environmental factors. Braconid and other parasitic wasps lay their eggs in lepidopteran eggs or larvae and the wasps' parasitoid larvae devour their hosts, usually pupating inside or outside

5355-455: The ZW sex-determination system where females are the heterogametic sex (ZW) and males homogametic (ZZ). Butterflies are distributed worldwide except Antarctica, totalling some 18,500 species. Of these, 775 are Nearctic ; 7,700 Neotropical ; 1,575 Palearctic ; 3,650 Afrotropical ; and 4,800 are distributed across the combined Oriental and Australian / Oceania regions. The monarch butterfly

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5460-481: The larval stage, or in some cases a prepupal stage, and precedes adulthood ( imago ) in insects with complete metamorphosis. The pupa is a non-feeding, usually sessile stage, or highly active as in mosquitoes. It is during the pupal stage that the adult structures of the insect are formed while the larval structures are broken down. The adult structures grow from imaginal discs . The pupal stage may last weeks, months, or even years, depending on temperature and

5565-540: The lepidopteran suborder Rhopalocera , characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises the superfamilies Hedyloidea (moth-butterflies in the Americas) and Papilionoidea (all others). The oldest butterfly fossils have been dated to the Paleocene , about 56 million years ago, though molecular likely originated in

5670-402: The monarch and the painted lady , migrate over long distances. Many butterflies are attacked by parasites or parasitoids , including wasps , protozoans , flies , and other invertebrates, or are preyed upon by other organisms. Some species are pests because in their larval stages they can damage domestic crops or trees; other species are agents of pollination of some plants. Larvae of

5775-600: The non-coding DNA around the cortex gene can turn a black-winged butterfly into a butterfly with a yellow wing band. When the butterfly Bicyclus anynana is subjected to repeated inbreeding in the laboratory, there is a dramatic decrease in egg hatching. This severe inbreeding depression is considered to be likely due to a relatively high mutation rate to recessive alleles with substantial damaging effects and infrequent episodes of inbreeding in nature that might otherwise purge such mutations. Although B. anynana experiences inbreeding depression when forcibly inbred in

5880-564: The order Lepidoptera . There are as many as eleven subspecies recognized. It is a native of the Nearctic and Neotropical realms. The conservation status of this species is secure, with no reported management needs. Females lay small white eggs one at a time on larval host plants, usually members of the milkweed subfamily Asclepiadoideae . The egg hatches into a black caterpillar with transverse white stripes and yellow spots, and three pairs of long, black filaments. The caterpillar feeds on

5985-540: The Apollos ( Parnassius ) plugs her genital opening to prevent her from mating again. The vast majority of butterflies have a four-stage life cycle: egg , larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis) and imago (adult). In the genera Colias , Erebia , Euchloe , and Parnassius , a small number of species are known that reproduce semi-parthenogenetically ; when the female dies, a partially developed larva emerges from her abdomen. Butterfly eggs are protected by

6090-430: The abdomen, generally with short prolegs on segments 3–6 and 10; the three pairs of true legs on the thorax have five segments each. Many are well camouflaged; others are aposematic with bright colours and bristly projections containing toxic chemicals obtained from their food plants. The pupa or chrysalis, unlike that of moths, is not wrapped in a cocoon. Many butterflies are sexually dimorphic . Most butterflies have

6195-405: The abdominal segments. These prolegs have rings of tiny hooks called crochets that are engaged hydrostatically and help the caterpillar grip the substrate. The epidermis bears tufts of setae , the position and number of which help in identifying the species. There is also decoration in the form of hairs, wart-like protuberances, horn-like protuberances and spines. Internally, most of the body cavity

6300-502: The adult colour pattern are marked by changes in the expression of particular transcription factors in the early pupa. The reproductive stage of the insect is the winged adult or imago . The surface of both butterflies and moths is covered by scales, each of which is an outgrowth from a single epidermal cell. The head is small and dominated by the two large compound eyes . These are capable of distinguishing flower shapes or motion but cannot view distant objects clearly. Colour perception

6405-433: The adult insect climbs out, expands its wings to dry, and flies off. Some butterflies, especially in the tropics, have several generations in a year, while others have a single generation, and a few in cold locations may take several years to pass through their entire life cycle. Butterflies are often polymorphic , and many species make use of camouflage , mimicry , and aposematism to evade their predators. Some, like

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6510-420: The adult male mates with a female pupa about to emerge, or with the newly moulted female; this is accompanied by other actions such as capping of the reproductive system of the female with the sphragis , denying access to other males, or by exuding an anti-aphrodisiac pheromone. Pupae are usually immobile and are largely defenseless. To overcome this, pupae often are covered with a cocoon, conceal themselves in

6615-467: The air for wind and scents. The antennae come in various shapes and colours; the hesperiids have a pointed angle or hook to the antennae, while most other families show knobbed antennae. The antennae are richly covered with sensory organs known as sensillae . A butterfly's sense of taste is coordinated by chemoreceptors on the tarsi , or feet, which work only on contact, and are used to determine whether an egg-laying insect's offspring will be able to feed on

6720-434: The ant eggs and larvae in a parasitic relationship. Caterpillars mature through a series of developmental stages known as instars . Near the end of each stage, the larva undergoes a process called apolysis , mediated by the release of a series of neurohormones . During this phase, the cuticle , a tough outer layer made of a mixture of chitin and specialized proteins , is released from the softer epidermis beneath, and

6825-658: The blues, greens, reds and iridescent colours are created by structural coloration produced by the micro-structures of the scales and hairs. As in all insects, the body is divided into three sections: the head, thorax , and abdomen . The thorax is composed of three segments, each with a pair of legs. In most families of butterfly the antennae are clubbed, unlike those of moths which may be threadlike or feathery. The long proboscis can be coiled when not in use for sipping nectar from flowers. Nearly all butterflies are diurnal , have relatively bright colours, and hold their wings vertically above their bodies when at rest, unlike

6930-441: The desiccated husk. Most wasps are very specific about their host species and some have been used as biological controls of pest butterflies like the large white butterfly . When the small cabbage white was accidentally introduced to New Zealand, it had no natural enemies. In order to control it, some pupae that had been parasitised by a chalcid wasp were imported, and natural control was thus regained. Some flies lay their eggs on

7035-1004: The edge of, but seldom penetrate, hammocks and forests. In the southern US, the queen prefers open woodland, fields, and desert. The queen larvae feed on Apocynaceae (milkweeds and dogbanes). It can survive on a number of hosts. Common plants include butterflyweed ( Asclepias tuberosa ) and bloodflower ( Asclepias curassavica ). In the West Indies, blunt-leaved milkweed ( Asclepias amplexicaulis ) and honey vine ( Cynanchum laeve ) are favored. The caterpillar has also been observed on Asclepias nivea , Calotropis procera , and Apocynaceae nerium . Other reported host genera include Apocynum , Cynanchum (former Sarcostemma species), Gonolobus , and Stapelia . As an adult, its feeding habits are less specific. The butterfly feeds predominantly on nectar from flowers and dead foliage, but can also feed on rotting fruit, sweat, and dry or wet dung, among other substances. Even as an adult,

7140-406: The environment, or form underground. Some species of Lycaenid butterflies are protected in their pupal stage by ants. Another means of defense by pupae of other species is the capability of making sounds or vibrations to scare potential predators. A few species use chemical defenses including toxic secretions. The pupae of social hymenopterans are protected by adult members of the hive. Based on

7245-419: The epidermis begins to form a new cuticle. At the end of each instar, the larva moults , the old cuticle splits and the new cuticle expands, rapidly hardening and developing pigment. Development of butterfly wing patterns begins by the last larval instar. Caterpillars have short antennae and several simple eyes . The mouthparts are adapted for chewing with powerful mandibles and a pair of maxillae, each with

7350-414: The exuvia is so thin and membranous that it becomes "crumpled" as it is shed. Measuring the timing of this emergence is of interest to chronobiologists because the process is regulated by circadian clocks in many species, necessitating different assays to measure eclosion timing. In a few taxa of the Lepidoptera, especially Heliconius , pupal mating is an extreme form of reproductive strategy in which

7455-741: The family Hesperiidae (skippers). Molecular clock estimates suggest that butterflies originated sometime in the Late Cretaceous , but only significantly diversified during the Cenozoic, with one study suggesting a North American origin for the group. The oldest American butterfly is the Late Eocene Prodryas persephone from the Florissant Fossil Beds , approximately 34   million years old. Butterflies are divided into seven families that contain

7560-420: The female and copulating with her. Afterwards, the two engage in a postnuptial flight - the male flies with the female dangling beneath him. The chemicals that comprise the pheromone are secreted by trichogen cells, which are located at the base of each hair-pencil. This liquid secretion moves from these cells, through the cuticle of the hairs, to coat the numerous free, cuticular dust particles that adhere to

7665-400: The forelegs, the first pair located on the prothoracic segment of the abdomen, are reduced and not used for locomotion. The forelegs are relatively smaller in the male than in the female. The female uses its short forelegs to scratch the surface of a leaf to determine which ones are suitable hosts for its eggs. In both sexes, the reduced forelegs lack claws. The male queen has an androconium ,

7770-457: The forewings to help make its way out. Having emerged from the chrysalis, the butterfly will usually sit on the empty shell in order to expand and harden its wings. However, if the chrysalis was near the ground (such as if it fell off from its silk pad), the butterfly would find another vertical surface to rest upon and harden its wings (such as a wall or fence). Moth pupae are usually dark in color and either formed in underground cells, loose in

7875-409: The friction of their overlapping parts. The front two segments have a pair of spiracles which are used in respiration. The abdomen consists of ten segments and contains the gut and genital organs. The front eight segments have spiracles and the terminal segment is modified for reproduction. The male has a pair of clasping organs attached to a ring structure, and during copulation, a tubular structure

7980-555: The grass was growing. The earliest Lepidoptera fossils date to the Triassic - Jurassic boundary, around 200   million years ago. Butterflies evolved from moths, so while the butterflies are monophyletic (forming a single clade ), the moths are not. The oldest known butterfly is Protocoeliades kristenseni from the Palaeocene aged Fur Formation of Denmark, approximately 55   million years old, which belongs to

8085-489: The ground than normal to find a suitable host for egg deposition. During courtship, which occurs while both butterflies are in flight, the male everts his hair-pencils and brushes them against the female's antennae. This act is called "hair-pencilling." The secretion associated with these hair-pencils plays an important role in seducing the female. When the female comes to rest, the male hovers closely above her and subjects her to further “hair-pencilling” before alighting next to

8190-455: The hair-pencil surface. Two of the chemicals that comprise this secretion have been identified – a crystalline pyrrolizidinone ( ketone ) and a viscous terpenoid alcohol (diol). The diol imparts a stickiness that allows the secretion to stay on the dust, and the dust on antennae. The ketone is a releaser pheromone, inducing females to mate. Although insufficient levels of ketone present in the dust particle correlates to lower seductive capacity in

8295-470: The host plant and sequesters chemicals that make it distasteful to some predators. It then goes through six instars , after which the larva finds a suitable spot to pupate. The adult emerges 7 to 10 days afterwards. The queen butterfly has multiple generations per year. The queen butterfly oviposits one egg at a time. Each individual egg can be found on leaves, stems, and flower buds of the host. The eggs are usually pale green, ovate to conical in shape, with

8400-1030: The laboratory it recovers within a few generation when allowed to breed freely. During mate selection, adult females do not innately avoid or learn to avoid siblings, implying that such detection may not be critical to reproductive fitness. Inbreeding may persist in B anynana because the probability of encountering close relatives is rare in nature; that is, movement ecology may mask the deleterious effect of inbreeding resulting in relaxation of selection for active inbreeding avoidance behaviors. Butterflies feed primarily on nectar from flowers. Some also derive nourishment from pollen , tree sap, rotting fruit, dung, decaying flesh, and dissolved minerals in wet sand or dirt. Butterflies are important as pollinators for some species of plants. In general, they do not carry as much pollen load as bees , but they are capable of moving pollen over greater distances. Flower constancy has been observed for at least one species of butterfly. Adult butterflies consume only liquids, ingested through

8505-413: The legitimacy of this relationship. In fact, experimental evidence suggested that Florida viceroys could be significantly more unpalatable than representative queens. Because experimental evidence showed sampled queens were significantly less distasteful than viceroys, it was purported that Florida viceroys and queens were Müllerian co-mimics. Furthermore, evidence from this study led to the hypothesis that

8610-506: The majority of moths which fly by night, are often cryptically coloured (well camouflaged), and either hold their wings flat (touching the surface on which the moth is standing) or fold them closely over their bodies. Some day-flying moths, such as the hummingbird hawk-moth , are exceptions to these rules. Butterfly larvae , caterpillars , have a hard ( sclerotised ) head with strong mandibles used for cutting their food, most often leaves. They have cylindrical bodies, with ten segments to

8715-484: The male's hair-pencil and the female's antennae does not affect a male's mating success. Males without hair-pencils are no less fertile than males with hair-pencils. That actively hair-pencilling males emit a very definite odor that can even be perceived by humans also supports the idea that it is not the hair-pencil itself that is important in courtship, but rather, the pheromone which the hair-pencil transports. Butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from

8820-727: The male, are tucked away when the male is not interacting with the female. As such, these organs are thought to serve as important tools for pheromone dissemination during courtship. Hair-pencils play an important role in courtship success. Although the lack of hair-pencils does not affect the rate at and enthusiasm with which males pursue females, males without hair-pencils experience significantly lower success in achieving copulation. Male queen butterflies with physically normal but chemically deficient hair-pencils also suffer from lower mating success. In addition, adult female queens whose antennae have been blocked are not receptive to advances from competent male queens. However, physical contact between

8925-416: The male, some males with low levels of ketone – and even some without hair-pencils – have been known to mate successfully with females. This suggests that although hair-pencil pheromones are of major importance, they are not absolutely essential to mating. Many butterflies possess extrusible brushlike structures, called hair-pencils. In the queen, the hair-pencils, which are present in the posterior abdomen in

9030-407: The morning. In mosquitoes, the emergence is in the evening or night. In fleas, the process is triggered by vibrations that indicate the possible presence of a suitable host. Prior to emergence, the adult inside the pupal exoskeleton is termed pharate . Once the pharate adult has eclosed from the pupa, the empty pupal exoskeleton is called an exuvia ; in most hymenopterans (ants, bees and wasps)

9135-484: The most economically important of all lepidopterans. The silk moth is the only completely domesticated lepidopteran; it does not exist in the wild. Insects that pupate in a cocoon must escape from it, and they do this either by the pupa cutting its way out, or by secreting enzymes , sometimes called cocoonase , that soften the cocoon. Some cocoons are constructed with built-in lines of weakness along which they will tear easily from inside, or with exit holes that only allow

9240-401: The name is ancient, but modern Dutch and German use different words ( vlinder and Schmetterling ) and the common name often varies substantially between otherwise closely related languages. A possible source of the name is the bright yellow male of the brimstone ( Gonepteryx rhamni ); another is that butterflies were on the wing in meadows during the spring and summer butter season while

9345-521: The outside of caterpillars and the newly hatched fly larvae bore their way through the skin and feed in a similar way to the parasitoid wasp larvae. Predators of butterflies include ants, spiders, wasps, and birds. Chrysalis The pupae of different groups of insects have different names such as chrysalis for the pupae of butterflies and tumbler for those of the mosquito family. Pupae may further be enclosed in other structures such as cocoons , nests , or shells . The pupal stage follows

9450-449: The outside of their cocoon in an attempt to disguise it from predators. Others spin their cocoon in a concealed location—on the underside of a leaf , in a crevice , down near the base of a tree trunk , suspended from a twig or concealed in the leaf litter . Contrary to popular belief, larvae do not completely liquify inside the cocoon. The silk in the cocoon of the silk moth can be unraveled to harvest silk fibre which makes this moth

9555-641: The palatable Batesian mimics of viceroys. Queen unpalatability does not directly mirror either food plant or butterfly cardenolide content. Evidence suggests that the interaction of cardenolides and noncardenolides are utilized for chemical defenses in milkweed butterflies . Wild queens that fed upon S. clausum as larvae but had access to adult-obtained compounds, such as the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) used for pheromone production, were observed to be significantly less palatable to avian predators than butterflies without chemical defenses. As such, these alkaloids, which are known to deter spider predators, may make

9660-436: The presence or absence of articulated mandibles that are employed in emerging from a cocoon or pupal case, the pupae can be classified in to two types: Based on whether the pupal appendages are free or attached to the body, the pupae can be classified as one of three types: A chrysalis ( Latin : chrysallis , from Ancient Greek : χρυσαλλίς , chrysallís , plural: chrysalides , also known as an aurelia ) or nympha

9765-529: The proboscis. They sip water from damp patches for hydration and feed on nectar from flowers, from which they obtain sugars for energy, and sodium and other minerals vital for reproduction. Several species of butterflies need more sodium than that provided by nectar and are attracted by sodium in salt; they sometimes land on people, attracted by the salt in human sweat. Some butterflies also visit dung and scavenge rotting fruit or carcasses to obtain minerals and nutrients. In many species, this mud-puddling behaviour

9870-610: The queen actually enjoys an asymmetric mimicry relationship, gaining an advantage from flying in the company of the relatively more unpalatable viceroy. Further experimentation suggested that chemical defense of queens is highly labile. It was shown that queens reared on the high-cardenolide A. curassavica sequester and store levels of cardenolides similar to those found in monarchs. These butterflies were regarded as very distasteful and were largely rejected by avian predators. Furthermore, those that were eaten elicited high rates of distress behavior. However, queens reared on S. clausum ,

9975-480: The queen and the monarch are closely related, it was assumed that the queen also possesses the ability to effectively sequester and store cardenolides present in milkweeds. As such, the queen and the Florida viceroy was long regarded a classic model-mimic example of Batesian mimicry , similar to the relationship exhibited by the monarch and the viceroy. However, the unexpected failure of birds to reject successive queens in an experimental setting called into question

10080-469: The queen does not undertake dramatic migrations like the monarch, most undertake short-distance travel at tropical latitudes in areas that have a distinct dry season. During those periods, the queen will fly from lowlands to high elevations. Throughout its distribution, the queen can be found on open land, in meadows, fields, and marshes. It displays a more xeric preference in Hispaniola and will fly to

10185-419: The queen is bluish-white dorsally, with a reddish-brown underside. It has three pairs of black, fleshy tentacles—one is on the head, one is on the second thoracic segment and one is on the eighth abdominal segment. When mature, the caterpillar is brown with purplish prolegs . It has been observed with the following color variants of its transverse stripes: blue, green, yellow, white, and blackish brown. The head

10290-625: The queen is drawn to milkweeds (Apocynaceae). However, the butterfly is also attracted to the Nerium , Funastrum , Vincetoxicum , Philabertia , Stapelia . In addition to the above food sources, males are attracted to Heliotropium , Eupatorium , Senecio , and Crotalaria , plants known to contain the alkaloid lycopsamine. The alkaloid and other precursor compounds from these plants are used to create pheromones used to attract mates. Pheromone precursors are predominantly obtained from Boraginaceae , Asteraceae , and Fabaceae . The queen

10395-431: The quest for a suitable pupation site, often the underside of a leaf or other concealed location. There it spins a button of silk which it uses to fasten its body to the surface and moults for a final time. While some caterpillars spin a cocoon to protect the pupa, most species do not. The naked pupa, often known as a chrysalis, usually hangs head down from the cremaster, a spiny pad at the posterior end, but in some species

10500-417: The soil, or their pupa is contained in a protective silk case called a cocoon . The pupa of some species such as the hornet moth develops sharp ridges around the outside called adminicula that allow the pupa to move from its place of concealment inside a tree trunk when it is time for the adult to emerge. Pupa, chrysalis, and cocoon are frequently confused, but are quite distinct from each other. The pupa

10605-859: The southern portions of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Occasionally, the subspecies of the queen can be found somewhat north, in Kansas , Colorado , and Utah . Periodically, a stray may be found in the Midwest , such as in Missouri . The berenice subspecies is found largely in the Southeast and the strigosus in the Southwest. The queen is also found in Cuba. It is more common in southern Central America, with numbers beginning to rise in Mexico. The queen can be found as far south as Argentina. Although

10710-438: The species of insect. For example, the pupal stage lasts eight to fifteen days in monarch butterflies . The pupa may enter dormancy or diapause until the appropriate season to emerge as an adult insect. In temperate climates pupae usually stay dormant during winter, while in the tropics pupae usually do so during the dry season . Insects emerge (eclose) from pupae by splitting the pupal case. Most butterflies emerge in

10815-526: The tip of the pupal abdomen by which the caterpillar fixes itself to the pad of silk. ( Gr. kremastos 'suspended') Like other types of pupae, the chrysalis stage in most butterflies is one in which there is little movement. However, some butterfly pupae are capable of moving the abdominal segments to produce sounds or to scare away potential predators . Within the chrysalis, growth and differentiation occur. The adult butterfly emerges (ecloses) from this and expands its wings by pumping haemolymph into

10920-453: The wing resembles the upper wing, but is paler. The queen has less-prominent veins on its wings and lacks the darker, apical shading found in the monarch. Both sexes are morphologically similar. The male's and the female's forewing lengths range from 3.7 centimetres (1.5 in) to 4.6 centimetres (1.8 in), with a mean length of 4.2 centimetres (1.7 in). The antennae lack scales. Although all danaids have two pairs of walking legs,

11025-401: The wing veins. Although this sudden and rapid change from pupa to imago is often called metamorphosis , metamorphosis is really the whole series of changes that an insect undergoes from egg to adult. When emerging, the butterfly uses a liquid, sometimes called cocoonase , which softens the shell of the chrysalis. Additionally, it uses two sharp claws located on the thick joints at the base of

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