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are grouped in the order Lepidoptera and are
after the beetles, the second largest
insect order with over 145 000 species found on all
continents. They are especially plentiful in
tropical South America.
Therefore in Ecuador, they are very numerous and can be found in all ecosystems
from the high alpine paramos of 4000m to the tropical regions,
from undisturbed nature areas to polluted cities.
The highest concentration of course are found in the tropical
rainforests where up to 12 generations may live at the same
time. |
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Butterflies and Moths are not so easily distinguished among each
other and
overlapping characteristics exist but generally have those traits
as explained below: |
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Moths are mostly active at night and are dark
colored but richly patterned and antennae have a
feathery appearance. Males are attracted by chemical signals.
There exist around 130 000 species
worldwide. |
Butterflies are generally flying in the daytime and their antennae have a club at the
end. Their wings are brightly colored,
which plays a role in courtship displays.
There exists in the world around 16 000 species. |
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Another important trait of
them is complete metamorphosis from egg to the larva to
pupa and finally imago or adult stage: |
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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 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. |
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Butterflies play an important
role in nature as e.g. flower pollinators and as food source for
other animals and 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.
Moths, on the other hand are often a pest to humans,
destroying their crops and stored products.
The well known clothes moths damage fabric by feeding on wool.
But there is one moth which played an important economic
role in human history, the silkworm moth.
Spinning the fiber out of a silkworm cocoon was a well kept Chinese
secret for centuries but with the introduction of stronger synthetic materials like nylon and
polyester, demand diminished in this century. |
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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? Take your pick! |
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@ all photos by
the author |
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