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are well known insects admired
by many people for their beauty and grace. They
are found on all continents but are especially plentiful in
tropical South America.
Ecuador boasts of many species
which can be found in all ecosystems
from the high alpine paramos of 4000m to the tropical regions,
from undisturbed nature areas to polluted cities. |
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Butterflies
are easily recognized in the insect world. Their two large
pair of wings are covered with scales which often reflect
exuberant colors, often arranged in some beautiful geometric pattern. Their mouthparts are fused together into a long
tubular proboscis which is used in sucking food. The
difference with moths is however more subtle. One distinct
feature is the knob or club at the end of the
antennae which only butterflies have. Furthermore only they
can sit with their wings closed or spread out flat
whereas moths cannot fold them up. |
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Egg Stage:
EGGS
After mating the female adult lays from 50 - 2000 tiny uni-colored eggs, often on the same plant, from
which later the hatched larvae feed on. |
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Larva Stage:
CATERPILLAR
The caterpillar eat continuously, feeding on particular plants
but some are predators and others eat stored grain and woolen
articles. They grow to hundred times their size at hatching and
therefore shed often their skin.
They have elastic cylindrical bodies, simple eyes, chewing mouthparts,
3
pairs of legs in the front and 5 pairs at the abdomen. |
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Pupa Stage:
COCOON
or CHRYSALIS
After the caterpillar spins itself into a cocoon
it hangs itself by
one or more silk threads from the same plant, where it fed on,
or some hide in the ground. The
internal structures undergo a complete change and the external features of an adult
butterfly develop. |
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Adult stage:
IMAGO
After the transformation period, the adult emerges full
sized from the cocoon. The main
characteristics of the adults are two pairs of scale covered
membranous wings with the
back ones never
as wide as the front pair,
compound eyes, two antennae and a proboscis or
sucking tube. They range in sizes from 1cm to 6cm in body length and 3cm to
30cm in wing width. Their nourishment consists of nectar, pollen, urine, dung, rotten fruits and
other liquids which they suck in. |
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Butterflies play an important
role in nature. They are important flower pollinators and a food source for
other animals like birds and smaller reptiles. They are often used as an indicator of ecological soundness of an
biological area as they are
easily observed and so their numbers can be easily monitored.
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In a few cases animals reach perfection
in their mimicry or camouflage as in the case of this
tropical butterfly photographed in the Amazon. Dead Leaf or
Butterfly? You take your pick! |
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Butterflies are grouped with the moths in the order
of Lepidoptera.
Their closest relatives are the caddisflies of the order of
Trichoptera. They arose some 200 million ago from an ancestor
similar to a caddisfly.
Note: They are
a large
insect order with over 160 000 species
scientifically described. Estimates of all existing
species is double that amount. |
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