BUTTERFLY

Palaechrysophanus hippothoe, an iridescent butterfly any of several thousand species of insects belonging to about six families (or more, in other systems of classification) constituting the subfamily Papilionoidea. Along with the moths and the skippers, they make up the insect order Lepidoptera. Butterflies are nearly worldwide in distribution. Like those of moths, the wings, bodies, and legs of butterflies are covered with dustlike scales that come off when they are handled. Unlike moths, butterflies are usually brightly or strikingly coloured and are active during the day. Perhaps the most distinctive features of the butterfly are its club-tipped antennae and its habit of holding the wings vertically over the back when at rest. The life cycle of the butterfly, like that of other lepidopterans, has four stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chyrsalis), and adult (imago). The larva and adults of most species are plant eaters. White admiral butterfly (Basilarchia, or Limenitis, arthemis), a common North The true butterflies (Papilionoidea) are divided into families as follows: Pieridae, the whites and sulfurs, known for their mass migrations; Papilionidae, the swallowtails and parnassians (the latter sometimes considered a separate family, Parnassiidae); Lycaenidae, including the blues, coppers, hairstreaks, and gossamer-winged butterflies; Riodinidae, the metalmarks, found chiefly in the American tropics; Libytheidae, the snout butterflies; and Nymphalidae, called the nymphalid butterflies, the largest and most diverse family (divided by some authorities into several families), which includes such popular butterflies as the admirals (see photograph), fritillaries, monarchs, zebras, and painted ladies. See also lepidopteran.