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Butterflies
Lepidoptera
EOL Text
In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Animal / predator / stocks nest with
female of Ancistrocerus oviventris stocks nest with larva of Microlepidoptera
Scent trails lead to food: European moths
Caterpillars of the European moth find new food sources via scent trails exuded from other caterpillars.
"A European moth that is a serious pest in orchards, lays its eggs in spirals glued together around the twigs of fruit trees. When they hatch, the young caterpillars, while sustaining themselves by eating the leaves immediately around them, spin a large silken shroud around the branch so big that it can accommodate them all. They spend the day within it, concealed from the sight of hungry predatory birds. But when night comes they set out in long columns to demolish more leaves.
"After they have eaten everything in their immediate neighbourhood, a single scout sets out to prospect for more. As it explores new parts of the tree, it lays down behind it a trail of scent that exudes from glands on its rear end. This enables it to find its way back to shelter before dawn. The next night, its companions inspect the trail. If it has a single track, as might happen if the caterpillar was taken in the night by some hunter, they will ignore it. But if there is a double track, indicating that the scout returned and if, furthermore, its smell indicates that the scout had a good meal, then the whole colony of several hundred will set off in procession to strip the leaves from yet another part of the fruit tree." (Attenborough 1995:58)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Attenborough, D. 1995. The Private Life of Plants: A Natural History of Plant Behavior. London: BBC Books. 320 p.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/801ce482166ebbc013b97f18b0d0f6c6 |
Silk comes from the cocoons of a moth, and many people enjoy the beauty of butterflies and moths.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Lepidoptera/ |
In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Animal / parasite
Akanthomyces anamorph of Akanthomyces aculeatus parasitises Lepidoptera
Animal / predator / stocks nest with
female of Ammophila pubescens stocks nest with larva of Lepidoptera
Animal / predator / stocks nest with
female of Ancistrocerus gazella stocks nest with larva of Lepidoptera
Animal / predator / stocks nest with
female of Ancistrocerus trifasciatus stocks nest with larva of Lepidoptera
Animal / pathogen
Bacillus thuringiensis infects caterpillar of Lepidoptera
Animal / predator / stocks nest with
female of Bethylus cephalotes stocks nest with larva of Lepidoptera
Animal / parasitoid / endoparasitoid
larva of Blondelia nigripes is endoparasitoid of larva of Lepidoptera
Animal / dung saprobe
colony of Clonostachys anamorph of Clonostachys simmonsii is saprobic in/on dung or excretions of frass of caterpillar of Lepidoptera
Animal / pathogen
Conidiobolus thromboides infects live adult of Lepidoptera
Animal / parasitoid
solitary (usually) stroma of Cordyceps gracilis is parasitoid of buried larva of Lepidoptera
Animal / parasitoid
solitary (usually) stroma of Cordyceps militaris is parasitoid of buried (usually) larva of Lepidoptera
Animal / parasitoid
gregarious stroma of Cordyceps tuberculata is parasitoid of imago of Lepidoptera
Animal / pathogen
Entomophthora aulicae infects live adult of Lepidoptera
Animal / pathogen
Erynia radicans infects live larva of Lepidoptera
Animal / predator
Himacerus apterus is predator of caterpillar of Lepidoptera
Plant / pollenated
adult of Lepidoptera pollenates or fertilises flower of Anacamptis pyramidalis
Animal / predator / stocks nest with
female of Microdynerus exilis stocks nest with larva of Lepidoptera
Animal / predator
Nabis ferus is predator of caterpillar of Lepidoptera
Animal / predator / stocks nest with
female of Odynerus spinipes stocks nest with larva of Lepidoptera
Animal / predator
nymph of Orthotylus tenellus is predator of egg of Lepidoptera
Animal / predator
adult of Pentatoma rufipes is predator of caterpillar of Lepidoptera
Animal / predator
adult of Picromerus bidens is predator of caterpillar of Lepidoptera
Other: major host/prey
Animal / predator
leaf of Pinguicula vulgaris is predator of adult of Lepidoptera
Other: minor host/prey
Animal / predator / stocks nest with
female of Podalonia affinis stocks nest with larva of Lepidoptera
Animal / predator / stocks nest with
female of Podalonia hirsuta stocks nest with larva of Lepidoptera
Animal / parasite / endoparasite
larva of Pollenia endoparasitises Lepidoptera
Other: minor host/prey
Animal / parasite / endoparasite
larva of Sarcophaga albiceps endoparasitises Lepidoptera
Animal / parasite / endoparasite
larva of Sarcophaga jacobsoni endoparasitises Lepidoptera
Other: minor host/prey
Animal / predator / stocks nest with
female of Symmorphus bifasciatus stocks nest with larva of Lepidoptera
Animal / parasitoid / endoparasitoid
solitary larva of Trichogramma brassicae is endoparasitoid of egg of Lepidoptera
Other: sole host/prey
Animal / predator
adult of Troilus luridus is predator of adult of Lepidoptera
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | BioImages, BioImages - the Virtual Fieldguide (UK) |
Source | http://www.bioimages.org.uk/html/Lepidoptera.htm |
Feet sensitive to sweetness: butterfly
The feet of butterflies taste sweetness using extremely sensitive taste hairs.
"No matter where they are on an insect's body, taste sensors normally take the form of hairlike structures called taste hairs. Each one usually has five sensory nerve cells (neurons) at its base, four of which are concerned with taste. Of these, one always responds to sugar, a second to water, and the other two to various salts…Butterflies also have feet that can sense sweetness. When they have been starved, they can detect sugar diluted in water down to concentrations as low as 0.003 percent using their feet. This is a sensitivity 200 times greater than that of the human tongue." (Shuker 2001:33)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Shuker, KPN. 2001. The Hidden Powers of Animals: Uncovering the Secrets of Nature. London: Marshall Editions Ltd. 240 p.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/4cd0edd839be73d84d099d96c68fb423 |
Butterflies and moths are important pollinators. However, many species of butterflies and moths have been declining, partially due to loss of migratory and nectar corridors. Over 200 species of butterflies and moths undergo some type of migration, and the loss of appropriate habitat the distance of the migration routes has led to declining populations. Attempts to reverse this trend are being made by local jurisdictions, conservation organizations, and federal agencies.
Compared to bees, butterflies and moths are often less efficient at transferring pollen between plants because frequently pollen does not stick to their bodies and they lack specialized structures for collecting pollen. Butterflies and moths probe for nectar and prefer flat clustered flowers that they can use as a landing pad.
- What are the differences between butterflies and moths?, Australian Museum
License | |
Rights holder/Author | Bob Corrigan, Bob Corrigan |
Source | http://www.nbii.gov/portal/server.pt/community/butterflies_and_moths/856 |
Lepidoptera (lepidoptera larvae) is prey of:
Hymenoptera
Aves
Anura
Lepidosauria
Hylocichla mustelina
Geothlypis trichas
Picoides pubescens
Myiarchus
Vireo olivaceus
Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Araneae
Nabis
Harpalus
Oreoscoptes montanus
Turdus migratorius
Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
Tyrannidae
Icteridae
Icterus
Mimus polyglottos
Cardinalis cardinalis
Apodidae
Mephitinae
Geococcyx velox
Saurothera vieilloti
Otus nudipes
Herpestes auropunctatus
Eleutherodactylus coqui
Eleutherodactylus richmondi
Eleutherodactylus portoricensis
Eleutherodactylus wightmanae
Eleutherodactylus eneidae
Melanerpes portoricensis
Todus mexicanus
Mimocichla plumbea
Margarops fuscatus
Anolis cuvieri
Anolis evermanni
Anolis stratulus
Anolis gundlachi
Alsophis portoricensis
Leptodactylus albilabris
Myiarchus antillarum
Vireo latimeri
Nesospingus speculiferus
Icterus dominicensis
Vireo altiloquus
Seiurus aurocapillus
Sphaerodactylus klauberi
Diploglossus pleei
Mniotilta varia
Parula americana
Dendroica caerulescens
Dendroica discolor
Setophaga ruticilla
Coereba flaveola
Loxigilla portoricensis
Odonata
Gonatista grisea
Hemiptera
Diptera
Pteronotus parnelli
Tyrannus dominicensis
Elaenia
Dendroica petechia
Tiaris
Anolis gingivinus
Anolis pogus
Based on studies in:
New Zealand (Grassland)
Russia (Agricultural)
USA: Illinois (Forest)
Puerto Rico, El Verde (Rainforest)
USA: New Jersey (Agricultural)
USA: Arizona, Sonora Desert (Desert or dune)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- N. N. Smirnov, Food cycles in sphagnous bogs, Hydrobiologia 17:175-182, from p. 179 (1961).
- A. C. Twomey, The bird population of an elm-maple forest with special reference to aspection, territorialism, and coactions, Ecol. Monogr. 15(2):175-205, from p. 202 (1945).
- D. J. Shure, Radionuclide tracer analysis of trophic relationships in an old-field ecosystem, Ecol. Monogr. 43(1):1-19, from p. 15 (1973).
- K. Paviour-Smith, The biotic community of a salt meadow in New Zealand, Trans. R. Soc. N.Z. 83(3):525-554, from p. 542 (1956).
- P. G. Howes, The Giant Cactus Forest and Its World: A Brief Biology of the Giant Cactus Forest of Our American Southwest (Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, New York; Little, Brown, Boston; 1954), from pp. 222-239, from p. 227.
- Waide RB, Reagan WB (eds) (1996) The food web of a tropical rainforest. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
Proboscis forms a flexible, sealed cylinder: butterfly
The two-part proboscis of a butterfly unfurls to form a flexible feeding tube via two half-cylinders that curl over and interlock.
"The butterfly's proboscis, for example, is formed from the two soft 'lips' on the maxillae, which have become enormously elongated. When in use the two parts, semicircular in section, curl over and interlock to form a stiff but flexible cylindrical tube…" (Foy and Oxford Scientific Films 1982:163)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Foy, Sally; Oxford Scientific Films. 1982. The Grand Design: Form and Colour in Animals. Lingfield, Surrey, U.K.: BLA Publishing Limited for J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd, Aldine House, London. 238 p.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/36c34a8aaa1965360f5a6e1eb274ce5d |
LepiMAP is the African butterfly and moth mapping project. LepiMAP is a joint project of the Animal Demography Unit and Lepidopterists' Society of Africa.
Learn more about this citizen science project on SciStarter.org.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/ |
Rights holder/Author | Tracy Barbaro, Tracy Barbaro |
Source | http://scistarter.com/project/899-LepiMAP |
Lepidoptera (lepidoptera larvae) preys on:
leaves
flowers
roots
angiosperms
Ambrosia
Raphanus
Schismus barbatus
seeds of other plants
nectar
Plantae
live leaves
fruit
seeds
sap
nectar and floral
Based on studies in:
New Zealand (Grassland)
USA: Illinois (Forest)
USA: Arizona, Sonora Desert (Desert or dune)
Puerto Rico, El Verde (Rainforest)
Russia (Agricultural)
Tibet (Montane)
USA: New Jersey (Agricultural)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- N. N. Smirnov, Food cycles in sphagnous bogs, Hydrobiologia 17:175-182, from p. 179 (1961).
- A. C. Twomey, The bird population of an elm-maple forest with special reference to aspection, territorialism, and coactions, Ecol. Monogr. 15(2):175-205, from p. 202 (1945).
- D. J. Shure, Radionuclide tracer analysis of trophic relationships in an old-field ecosystem, Ecol. Monogr. 43(1):1-19, from p. 15 (1973).
- L. W. Swan, The ecology of the high Himalayas, Sci. Am. 205:68-78, from pp. 76-77 (October 1961).
- K. Paviour-Smith, The biotic community of a salt meadow in New Zealand, Trans. R. Soc. N.Z. 83(3):525-554, from p. 542 (1956).
- P. G. Howes, The Giant Cactus Forest and Its World: A Brief Biology of the Giant Cactus Forest of Our American Southwest (Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, New York; Little, Brown, Boston; 1954), from pp. 222-239, from p. 227.
- Waide RB, Reagan WB (eds) (1996) The food web of a tropical rainforest. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |