These amazing butterflies. Combat readiness Silkworms do not form a pair

Settled more comfortably. Nice to rest on fresh air in own garden. Abandoned garden. Yes… a lot has changed since I got out of prison.
Now, already 10 years later, as a 26-year-old man, looking back, I understand how much I lost in my not so long life. And this applies not only to time ... My life ended exactly at the age of 16. It ended with me being sent to a men's juvenile detention center because of the gang murder of a boy who was 14 years old at the time. I remember that cloudy September day very well, but I would agree that someone would erase this fateful date from my memory at all, because as someone or something reminds me of this day, I suddenly become unbearably ill and sick . After 2 years, when I turned 18, I was transferred to prison.
On the last day of my stay in prison, it didn’t matter to me whether they would let me out or not. 8 years of life wasted. Of course, what I thought about freedom in this damn place, because no one could forbid me to think. In prison you change. AT bad side? Maybe. In a good one? Perhaps... Everything is too relative, and you can not look at it only from one side. Well, yes, they released ... And what's next? And then, it seems, life goes on, at 24 years old. But not ex-prisoners. Personally, I don't have anything left. My mother and father abandoned me, moving to another country, and leaving me a two-room apartment in the city center as a delicacy, and my grandparents died a long time ago. All my already former friends went in different directions after graduating from schools and universities, while I served time.
But to tell the truth, I was interested in the fate of one good man. I was interested in the fate of Tricky. Tricky was so kind, so nice and small. I don’t know why, but because of her short stature, some strange fictitious name Tricky came to my mind, and after that I called her more often than not. When we met at the next party, I was 13, and she was 12. The age difference was exactly one year. At a time when many girls already at 12-13 had a height of 66-67 meters, her height was 58 meters. And at 16 her height was 60 meters, although the figure was already fully formed. I have not met more cheerful and real girls in my life, except for the one I am telling you about. She was just a simple girl, and not that overdressed girl that everyone a regular guy I wanted to use and throw away as unnecessary material. Sitting in the colony and prison, I often thought about her. My thoughts were only about freedom and about Tricky. I even wrote letters to her, but for some reason she did not answer everything, and maybe even that these letters, sorted out, were simply thrown away. Interestingly, even when I was arrested, she still remained calm. She smiled at me, showed me the “victory” sign with two fingers, and I never saw her again after that.
I found her 2 years after I was released from prison. Tricky was 25 years old, she was all the same vertically challenged with kind eyes and good character in the world, and she already had a child whom she gave birth to from a loved one. And again... Was I glad? Maybe. Was I sad? Maybe. However, I kept in touch with her.
I myself spent little time in my apartment, instead I preferred to spend most of my time in an abandoned garden. Of course, before I came to this garden, I did not know that it was in such a state. It turns out that my so-called parents simply abandoned him, leaving him to the mercy of fate, while they themselves went abroad. This made me hate them even more. But the garden turned out to be even more beautiful. On the tall grass, which almost reached the top of the same overgrown trees, sat three butterflies. They were incredibly beautiful, and I did not think that in our region there are such amazing creatures. Butterflies were big! Then I saw 3 pieces. Two orange and one dark purple. I touched one with the fingers of my palm, and it fluttered and flew away, followed by others.
After that, I made my way through all the plants to our garden house. How is it overgrown with vines! Beautiful lilac flowers, like spots, adorned the white wall of the house, reaching the very roof. As for the front wooden door, it was locked, and the liana wrapped around it so that the handle was almost invisible.
In the following time, I went every day to our abandoned family garden and put it in order, being there from morning until late evening. So, a week later, I recut all the foliage, grass, weeded a bunch of weeds, but did not touch the liana and other creeping plants overgrown on a high fence. Although they looked sloppy, but there was beauty in it.
But how much more work I had to do inside the house ... I cleaned everything from the inside, including old and yellowed newspapers, non-working old tv and similar rubbish. When I was done, I sat down on a green fabric sofa near a small window. The sun shone brightly, and its rays illuminated the entire small house. I really liked how clean the window looked now that I had rubbed it to a shine. As soon as I looked a little higher, I noticed the butterfly again! Where are they from? This time it was yellow. And then I had an idea: maybe I should catch these butterflies in a net?
I immediately ran to the pet store and bought a small cage with thick bars and a small net.
Butterflies I caught slowly, slowly. To my greatest surprise, there were much more of them than I expected. It was not clear to me why there were so many of them and from where, they were of different colors, but mostly bluish and orange prevailed. A day in my net turned out to be 3-4 pieces, and I launched them into my cage, which stood on a small table in the middle of the room. I spent the night in a garden house, and I came to an apartment in the city center only to dust and pay public utilities. Washbasin, refrigerator, toothpaste and brush - everything was in my new home. At least in the summer, I planned to live only in this house.
At night, when I was already falling asleep on my green sofa, I heard the light flutter of butterflies in the cage. Oh, it was one of the most wonderful sounds in the world that I have ever heard! Thanks to the flutter of their wings in absolute silence, I fell asleep almost instantly, my sleep was sweet. I woke up early in the morning to quickly feed my bright creatures with a green breakfast consisting of flowers. I carefully cut off each flower and pushed them to the butterflies. It was interesting to watch them drink nectar, and then sprinkle them with water - they really liked it.
Butterflies have become my hobby. I looked after them, and, in my opinion, they felt great. Once in a cage, I already counted 12 pieces. And waking up one July day in the morning, I saw an interesting picture: several butterflies were sitting on a cage. These were new! I went to the cage and thought that they would immediately take off and fly away, but it turned out just the opposite: each butterfly took off and settled on one part of my body - on my shoulder, on my ear and on my wrist. The sign was completely clear to me, I caught them in a net and let them go to the others.
We survived autumn and winter. Over the summer, in total, I caught 25 butterflies. All beautiful creatures, down to the smallest butterfly, remained alive, which amazed me even more. Not only did they survive, but none of them tried to fly out of the cage!
And one of the most beautiful, the color of which was dark emerald with yellow spots on the wings, I named after the nicest man on Earth for me - in honor of Tricky. Tricky's butterfly was as pretty as Tricky's girlfriend herself. I suddenly realized that I was so carried away by my butterflies that even for half a year I never got in touch with her ... But dialing cell number, it turned out that it no longer works. After that, I never called Tricky, and even in social networks did not try to search.
Spring has come. End of April. I got out into the garden again and began to put it in order. He began to clear the remaining snow, remove the accumulated debris over the winter. Entering the house, I looked at the cage with butterflies. I looked at them from afar for a long time. For some reason, right now, an inexplicable wave of memories flooded over me, saturated with thick nostalgia for the old days of my life. Pictures flashed through my mind of my carefree childhood, my first day at school, my first time smoking weed at the age of 10 and then taking recreational drugs at 13, my first kiss with Tricky also at 13… Oh my God, what goosebumps ran all over my body ... September 6, 1999, the day of the murder of a 14-year-old boy who did not want to sell our reckless group of another dose of light drugs, crashed into my memory so suddenly, like lightning. I winced. And here it is, after 8 years of release from prison ...
When I came back to myself, I went to the butterfly cage and I swear, for the first time in 10 years, I cried like Small child. No, I sobbed looking at my lovely pets. How much has been lost, how much bad things have been done, thoughtlessly for 26 years of my damn life ... That night it was very difficult for me to fall asleep, even when butterfly wings were fluttering right under my ear.
Time flew by quickly, and now it's mid-May. I stood with a cage in my hands in my fragrant flower garden and admired the bright blue sky, which was absolutely clear. perfect weather only cheered me up even more with her gentle warmth. Butterflies impatiently beat in an iron cage with thick rods, in which they lived for almost a year. I squatted down and last time looked at each beauty individually. Could not get enough of them, feeling proud. Pride, as if they were my own children, who are about to fly away into the unknown a little more. Probably, the feeling of freedom, if not the most, but one of the most important feelings on Earth, which every person must experience, even if this person is the most terrible and rare scoundrel.
I lifted the iron cage high, holding it in one hand and holding on to the cage door with the other. One, two, three...and...!!! All the butterflies fluttered at once. I froze in place. I have never seen such a bright dance of colors in my life. They seemed to paint blue sky in hundreds of different tones bright colors… My heart stopped. Butterflies were already circling far away from me, creating, as it seemed to me, a colored funnel, and the flutter of their wings was so loud that it echoed throughout my garden. I felt then something indistinct and mixed, something perfect and even close to unearthly. My chest let out a terrible spirit of experiences, dead hopes, and my heart, punctured by time, was sewn up right on the go, while the vile seams were smoothed out, as if by magic, being replaced by a new and living tissue. Believe it or not, but I FELT it. Fresh, spring-like virgin air filled my chest from the inside, healing the wounds of the past. I spread my arms in different directions and passionately wanted nature to embrace me with all its beautiful body. She did it with great pleasure, giving me a second wind of life. My destiny, my talisman, stored somewhere deep in the subconscious, my healing lurked in tiny bright creatures that had just fluttered out of their hearth, taking the sick part of me with them. I, like butterflies, flew away at that moment, happily screaming into the blue sky and comprehending the horizons of bliss and pleasure.
Sat down on green grass. I heard the crack of the gate. It was open... Forgot to close it last night. Jumping around the corner of the garden house, I saw a short girl. Tricky stood at the gate, clutching a wicker basket to her and smiling the kindest smile on earth.

Fluttering butterflies are the personification of a carefree life. In fact, their destiny is a continuous struggle for survival. For this, butterflies have special devices, many of which are not found in other insects

tendrils help balance in flight and play the role of a nose - they catch the smells of other butterflies or food brought by air currents. Males that search for females by pheromones have larger antennae.

compound eyes provide a wide field of view. But butterflies do not differ in visual acuity - their eyes consist of 17,000 segments, giving a mosaic image. At the points of contact between adjacent segments, there are long bristles that protect the eyes from pollen.

On the head is special body , called jones. It is designed to analyze shaking and sound vibrations. With its help, butterflies not only assess the state environment but also communicate.

Mouth organs, like other insects, are not found in butterflies: the upper lip and jaws and lower lip are either completely absent, or they are barely distinguishable. But the lower jaws, on the contrary, are strongly elongated and form a proboscis. With its help, the butterfly sucks out nectar or other liquid food. Due to the injection of blood fluid, the elastic proboscis unwinds, and when this fluid flows out, it twists into a spiral. Not all species have a developed proboscis, many butterflies do not eat anything, but live off the reserves accumulated by the caterpillar.

The butterfly breathes through the thinnest tubes - the trachea pervading her entire body. Air enters them through special openings on the chest and abdomen.

Wings are actually transparent. Color them in different colors smallest scales. Their number can reach several hundred thousand. The scales are different: pigmented with a coloring matter; optical reflect and refract the incident light, because of this, the wings have a metallic sheen; androconial exude an aroma that attracts males (sometimes the smell is so strong that a person can also feel it).

On paws most species have taste sensors that are 2000 times more sensitive than receptors on the human tongue. Like the wings, the legs have scented scales that attract mating partners.

Abdomen usually consists of 8-9 segments, the last is the genital opening. Males also have special appendages on the abdomen - tweezers. With their help, the male holds the female in desired position. Some species of butterflies only need a couple of minutes to mate, while others take up to 36 hours.

Instead of red blood, butterflies have transparent or yellow hemolymph. It contains neither red blood cells nor hemoglobin.

Butterfly belongs to the class of insects, type arthropods, order Lepidoptera (lat. Lepidoptera).

The Russian name "butterfly" comes from the Old Slavonic word "babаka", denoting the concept of "old woman" or "grandmother". In the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, it was believed that these were the souls of the dead, so people treated them with respect.

Butterfly: description and photo. The structure and appearance of butterflies

In the structure of a butterfly, two main sections are distinguished - a body protected by a hard chitinous shell and wings.

A butterfly is an insect whose body consists of:

• Head, inactively connected to the chest. The head of a butterfly has a rounded shape with a slightly flattened occiput. Round or oval convex eyes of a butterfly in the form of hemispheres, occupying most of the lateral surface of the head, have a complex facet structure. Butterflies have color vision, and moving objects perceive better than stationary ones. Many species have additional simple parietal eyes behind the antennae. The structure of the oral apparatus depends on the species and can be of a sucking or gnawing type.

• Breast having a three-segment structure. The front part is much smaller than the middle and back, where there are three pairs of legs, which have a structure characteristic of insects. On the shins of the front legs of the butterfly there are spurs designed to maintain the hygiene of the antennae.
• The abdomen has the shape of an elongated cylinder, consisting of ten ring-shaped segments with spiracles located on them.

Butterfly structure

The antennae of a butterfly are located on the border of the parietal and frontal parts of the head. They help butterflies to navigate in the environment, perceiving air vibrations and various smells.

The length and structure of the antennae depend on the species.

Two pairs of butterfly wings, covered with flat scales of various shapes, have a membranous structure and are pierced by transverse and longitudinal veins. The size of the hind wings can be the same as the front wings or much smaller than them. The pattern of butterfly wings varies from species to species and captivates with its beauty.

When macro photography, the scales on the wings of butterflies are very clearly visible - they can have completely different shape and color.

Butterfly wings - macro photography

The appearance and coloration of the butterfly's wings serve not only for intraspecific sexual recognition, but also act as a protective camouflage that allows you to blend in with your surroundings. Therefore, colors can be both monochrome and variegated with a complex pattern.

The size of a butterfly, or better to say the wingspan of a butterfly, can range from 2 mm to 31 cm.

Classification and types of butterflies

The numerous detachment of Lepidoptera includes more than 158 thousand representatives. There are several classification systems for butterflies, quite complex and intricate, with changes constantly taking place in them. The most successful is the scheme that divides this detachment into four suborders:

1) Primary toothed moths. These are small butterflies, the wingspan of which ranges from 4 to 15 mm, with oral apparatus gnawing type and antennae, which reach a length of up to 75% of the size of the front wings. The family consists of 160 species of butterflies.

Typical representatives are:

• golden small-winged (lat. Micropteryx calthella);
• small-winged marigold (lat. Micropteryx calthella).

2) Proboscis butterflies. The wingspan of these insects, covered with dark small scales with cream or black spots, does not exceed 25 mm. Until 1967, they were classified as primary toothed moths, with which this family has much in common.

The most famous butterflies from this suborder:

• flour fire (lat. Asopia farinalis L..),
• moth fir cones(lat. Dioryctrica abieteila).

3) Heterobatmia, represented by one family Heterobathmiidae.

4) Proboscis butterflies, which make up the most numerous suborder, consisting of several dozen families, which include more than 150 thousand species of butterflies. Appearance and the sizes of representatives of this suborder are very diverse. Below are several families that demonstrate the diversity of proboscis butterflies.

• Sailboat family, represented by medium and large butterflies with a wingspan of 50 to 280 mm. The pattern on the wings of butterflies consists of black, red or blue spots of various shapes, clearly visible on a white or yellow background. The most famous of them are:
  1. Butterfly swallowtail;
  2. Sailboat "Glory of Bhutan";
  3. Birdwing of Queen Alexandra and others.

Butterfly swallowtail

• Nymphalidae family, feature which is the absence of thickened veins on wide angular wings with variegated coloration and various patterns. Butterfly wingspan varies from 50 to 130 mm. Representatives of this family are:
  1. Butterfly admiral;
  2. Butterfly diurnal peacock eye;
  3. Butterfly urticaria;
  4. Butterfly mourning, etc.

Butterfly Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Butterfly diurnal peacock eye

Butterfly urticaria (Aglais urticae)

Butterfly mourner

• , represented by night butterflies with narrow wings, the span of which does not exceed 13 cm and is distinguished by a characteristic pattern. The abdomen of these insects is thickened and spindle-shaped. The most famous butterflies of this family:
  1. Hawk hawk "dead head";
  2. Oleander hawk;
  3. Poplar hawk.

• Owl family, which includes more than 35,000 species of night butterflies. The span of gray with a metallic shade of fluffy wings averages 35 mm. However, in South America there is a species of butterflies tizania agrippina with a wingspan of 31 cm or atlas peacock-eye, the size of which resembles a medium-sized bird.

Where do butterflies live in nature?

The distribution range of butterflies on the planet is very wide. It does not include only the ice expanses of Antarctica. Butterflies live everywhere from North America and Greenland to the coast of Australia and the island of Tasmania. The largest number species found in Peru and India. These fluttering insects make their flights not only in the flowering valleys, but also high in the mountains.

What do butterflies eat?

The diet of many butterflies consists of pollen and nectar. flowering plants. Many species of butterflies feed on tree sap, overripe and rotting fruit. And the dead head hawk moth is a real gourmet, because it often flies into hives and regales itself on the honey they have collected.

Some Nymphalidae butterflies need various trace elements and additional moisture. Their source is excrement, urine and sweat of large animals, wet clay, and human sweat.

These butterflies include the Madagascar comet, whose wingspan is 14-16 cm. The life expectancy of this butterfly is 2-3 days.

Also among the butterflies there are "vampires". For example, males of some species of cutworms maintain their strength thanks to the blood and tear fluid of animals. Such is the vampire butterfly (lat. Calyptra).

Lepidoptera, or butterflies, moths, moths - a detachment of insects with complete transformation, most salient feature representatives of which is the presence of a dense cover of chitinous scales (flattened hairs) on the fore and hind wings (in this case, the scales are located both on the veins and on the wing plate between them). Most species are characterized by specialized sucking mouthparts with a proboscis formed by elongated lobes of the lower jaw. The shape and span of the wings are very diverse: from 2 mm to 28 cm.

Development with complete transformation: there are egg, larva (called caterpillar), pupa and adult stages. The larva is worm-like, with underdeveloped ventral legs, powerfully sclerotized integuments of the head, gnawing mouthparts and paired silk-secreting glands, secretions from which, in contact with air, form a silk thread.

Lepidoptera, whose fossils have been known since the Jurassic, are currently one of the most species-rich orders of insects - there are more than 158,000 species in the order. Representatives of the detachment are distributed on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica.

The branch of entomology that studies Lepidoptera is called lepidopterology.

Total population

The Lepidoptera order in terms of species diversity undoubtedly stands out among taxa of a similar rank. Lepidoptera are one of the largest groups of insects, including, as of August 2013, 158,570 species, including 147 fossil taxa. It is estimated that up to 100,000 species still remain known to science and thus, total number Lepidoptera species existing on the planet can be estimated at approximately 200,000 - 225,000 species. On the territory of Russia there are 2166 genera and 8879 species.

Lepidoptera are very diverse, and most of their species are poorly understood. Some of the described species are known from finds from a single locality or even from a single specimen. True Grade total existing species will never be known, because many species became extinct before they were discovered. Butterfly taxonomy, presented in various works, reflects the different views of their authors and is, without a doubt, debatable.

There are disputes about systematic position or the need to maintain the status of some subspecies or species. DNA studies indicate that some of the currently known species must be separated. Good famous example is the case when at first glance identical Colias alfacariensis and Colias hyale, previously considered one species, were divided into two after significant differences in the structure of their caterpillars and pupae were discovered.

Butterfly - description. The structure and appearance of butterflies.

In the structure of a butterfly, two main sections are distinguished - a body protected by a hard chitinous shell and wings.

A butterfly is an insect whose body consists of:

• Head, inactively connected to the chest. The head of a butterfly has a rounded shape with a slightly flattened occiput. Round or oval convex eyes of a butterfly in the form of hemispheres, occupying most of the lateral surface of the head, have a complex facet structure. Butterflies have color vision, and moving objects perceive better than stationary ones. Many species have additional simple parietal eyes behind the antennae. The structure of the oral apparatus depends on the species and can be of a sucking or gnawing type.
• The breast of a butterfly with a three-segment structure. The front part is much smaller than the middle and back, where there are three pairs of legs, which have a structure characteristic of insects. On the shins of the front legs of the butterfly there are spurs designed to maintain the hygiene of the antennae.
• Butterfly abdomen, having the shape of an elongated cylinder, consisting of ten ring-shaped segments with spiracles located on them.
• Butterfly antennae located on the border of the parietal and frontal parts of the head. They help butterflies to navigate in the environment, perceiving air vibrations and various smells. The length and structure of the antennae depend on the species.
• Two pairs of butterfly wings covered with flat scales of various shapes, have a membranous structure and are pierced by transverse and longitudinal veins. The size of the hind wings can be the same as the front wings or much smaller than them. The pattern of butterfly wings varies from species to species and captivates with its beauty. When macro photography, the scales on the wings of butterflies are very clearly visible - they can have completely different shapes and colors.

The appearance and coloration of the butterfly's wings serve not only for intraspecific sexual recognition, but also act as a protective camouflage that allows you to blend in with your surroundings. Therefore, colors can be both monochrome and variegated with a complex pattern. The size of a butterfly, or better to say the wingspan of a butterfly, can range from 2 mm to 31 cm.

Internal structure

Nervous system

Butterflies have a perfect nervous system and sensory organs, thanks to which they perfectly orient themselves in the environment and quickly respond to danger signals. Nervous system, like all arthropods, consists of a peripharyngeal ring and an abdominal nerve cord. In the head as a result of the merging of clusters nerve cells brain is formed. This system controls all movements of the butterfly, except for such involuntary functions as blood circulation, digestion, respiration. Researchers believe that these functions are controlled by the sympathetic nervous system.

Circulatory system

The circulatory system, like all arthropods, is open. The blood washes directly internal organs and tissues, being in the body cavity, transferring nutrients to them and taking them to the excretory organs harmful products vital activity. It does not participate in the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide i.e. in the breath. Its movement is provided by the work of the heart - a longitudinal muscular tube located in the dorsal part above the intestines. The heart, pulsating rhythmically, drives blood to the head end of the body. The backflow of blood is prevented by the valves of the heart. When the heart expands, blood enters it from the back of the body through its side openings, which are equipped with valves that prevent backflow of blood. In the body cavity, unlike the heart, blood flows from the anterior end to the posterior end, and then, getting into the heart as a result of its pulsation, it again goes to the head.

Respiratory system and excretory system

The respiratory system is a dense network of branched internal tubes - trachea, through which air, entering through the external spiracles, is delivered directly to all internal organs and tissues.

The excretory system is a bundle of thin tubes, the so-called Malpighian vessels, located in the body cavity. They are closed at the tops, and open into the intestines at the bases. The metabolic products are filtered out by the entire surface of the Malpighian vessels, and then inside the vessels they turn into crystals. Then they enter the intestinal cavity and, together with undigested food residues, are excreted from the body. Some harmful substances, especially poisons, accumulate and isolate in the fat body.

reproductive system

The reproductive system of females consists of two ovaries, in which the formation of eggs occurs. The ovaries, passing into tubular oviducts, merge with their bases into a single unpaired oviduct, through which mature eggs are brought out. In the female reproductive system there is a seminal receptacle - a reservoir where male spermatozoa enter. Mature eggs can be fertilized by these spermatozoa. The reproductive organs of the male are two testes that pass into the vas deferens, which are combined into an unpaired ejaculatory canal, which serves to remove sperm.

Butterfly lifestyle

Unlike other insects, such as beetles, butterflies can be called true aerial creatures. Very rarely they have no wings or are in their infancy; this only happens in females. Most butterflies fly a lot and quickly - during the day, at dusk or at night; some butterflies, especially bats, fly only in certain hours. Many, such as hawks (Sphingidae), eat in flight. Some butterflies are found in caves near the entrance; only one butterfly, Acentropus niveas Olivier, is adapted to life in the water. The predominant number of butterflies live in the warm season, from early spring to autumn; egg laying also coincides with this time.

Butterfly food is liquid. Most butterflies feed on honey or nectar secreted by flowers. The dead head (Acherontia atropos L.) needs honey so much that it steals it from bee hives. Attract butterflies and other plant secretions. So, for example, they very often visit herbs that secrete honey, and butterflies can be constantly found near open cuts on a tree, as well as other insects, since these cuts secrete juice, which they feed on. Butterflies also readily extract juice from fruits, especially those previously gnawed by wasps: this makes it easier for them to access the juice.

In some butterflies, the proboscis is adapted for perforating leaves and fruits. A collector who inspects honey-smeared fishing grounds at night knows how to use these tastes of butterflies: he adds a few drops of fruit ether to the bait, and in addition uses beer; especially like alcohol scoops.

Like all other insects with complete metamorphosis, a butterfly that emerges from a chrysalis retains its size for the rest of its life. If specimens of larger and smaller sizes are found in the same species, then the reason for this is the different nutrition of the caterpillar; depending on this, during pupation it has a larger or smaller value, in accordance with which the dimensions of the body of the butterfly will be different, and the differences in the same species can be very significant. Often in some species there are dwarf forms, otherwise completely normal. Differences in magnitude may be related to a particular area; for example, the polyflora (Vanessa polychloros L.) is smaller in Ireland than in Germany.

Classification and types of butterflies

The numerous detachment of Lepidoptera includes more than 158 thousand representatives. There are several classification systems for butterflies, quite complex and intricate, with changes constantly taking place in them.

The most successful is the scheme that divides this detachment into four suborders:

1. Primary tooth moths. These are small butterflies with a wingspan ranging from 4 to 15 mm, with gnawing mouthparts and antennae that reach up to 75% of the size of the forewings in length. The family consists of 160 species of butterflies.

Typical representatives are:

• golden small-winged;
• marigold smallwing.

1. Proboscis butterflies. The wingspan of these insects, covered with dark small scales with cream or black spots, does not exceed 25 mm. Until 1967, they were classified as primary toothed moths, with which this family has much in common.

The most famous butterflies from this suborder:

• flour moth - Asopia farinalis L.
• fir cone moth - Dioryctrica abieteila.

1. Heterobathmias, represented by one family, Heterobathmiidae.

1. Proboscis butterflies, which make up the most numerous suborder, consisting of several dozen families, which include more than 150 thousand species of butterflies. The appearance and size of the representatives of this suborder is very diverse.

Below are several families demonstrating the diversity of proboscis butterflies:

• Sailboat family, represented by medium and large butterflies with a wingspan of 50 to 280 mm. The pattern on the wings of butterflies consists of black, red or blue spots of various shapes, clearly visible on a white or yellow background. The most famous of them are the swallowtail butterfly, the sailboat "Glory of Bhutan", the bird-wing of Queen Alexandra and others.
• Nymphalidae family, a characteristic feature of which is the absence of thickened veins on wide, angular wings with variegated coloration and various patterns. Butterfly wingspan varies from 50 to 130 mm. Representatives of this family are: the admiral butterfly, the daytime peacock eye butterfly, the nettle butterfly, the mourning butterfly, etc.
• Family Moths, represented by night butterflies with narrow wings, the span of which does not exceed 13 cm and is distinguished by a characteristic pattern. The abdomen of these insects is thickened and spindle-shaped. The most famous butterflies of this family are the "dead head" hawk moth, the oleander hawk moth, and the poplar hawk moth.
• Owl family, which includes more than 35,000 species of night butterflies. The span of gray with a metallic shade of fluffy wings averages 35 mm. However, in South America there is a species of butterflies tizania agrippina with a wingspan of 31 cm or atlas peacock-eye, the size of which resembles a medium-sized bird.

Top 10 most beautiful butterflies in the world

Zizula hylax. The most beautiful butterfly among the small representatives of the class is Zizula hylax - the length of the wings in adults is only six millimeters.

Parnasius(Parnassius bannyngtoni). If you ever want to see all the beautiful butterflies on this list, then Parnassius bannyngtoni will give you problems. The fact is that this butterfly lives in the Himalayas at an altitude of six thousand meters.

Urania(Chrysiridia rhipheus). Beautiful butterflies are usually beautiful in themselves, well, and Urania was also recognized as such by the international scientific congress. Despite the fact that the main color in the color of the insect is black, the wings are decorated with bright vertical stripes that shimmer from the sun's rays.

Greta morgane. A little beauty with transparent wings - the Americans call this butterfly Glasswing, which literally means "glass wing". The species lives mainly in South America, feeds on the pollen of plants and flowers, and also rightfully takes first place in the top of the most unusual butterflies.

bird wing(Ornithoptera alexandrae). Unfortunately, the most beautiful butterflies in the world are also the rarest. The Birdwing or Queen Alexandra's Sailboat is no exception - a giant insect with a wingspan of 32 centimeters.

Admiral(Vanessa atalanta). Butterflies that make great distances for procreation - this is just about the species Vanessa atalanta. This most beautiful butterfly in its appearance is somewhat reminiscent of Urania - the color is dominated by black and dark cherry colors, and along the wings there are vertical stripes of warm orange and milky white colors.

Dead Head(Acherontia atropos). How did an insect with such an unsightly name appear on the list of the most beautiful butterflies in the world? If you saw Acherontia atropos once, you wouldn't ask, because this night moth is really very beautiful. The name of the species comes from the unusual color of the body, in the upper part of which the contours of the human skull are clearly visible.

Painted lady(Pyrameis cardui). The simple beauty of Burdock ensured her a "lifelong" belonging to the most beautiful butterflies. In addition, to get acquainted with this species, you don’t have to go to distant lands - the moth lives in all parts of the world.

peacock eye(Saturnia pyri). The peacock attracts attention with its luxurious tail, and Saturnia pyri with its wings. In addition to the color, the Peacock eye is also known for its sense of smell - during the rut, the male is able to "smell" the pheromones of the female at a distance of 10 or more kilometers.

Atlas or Prince of Darkness(Attacus atlas). The species lives in humid climate evergreen forests of Asia, China, Thailand, India, as well as the "native" range of Attacus atlas are the islands of Borneo and Java. This huge representative of the Saturnian family got its name from the ancient Greek titan Atlas - the butterfly looks really titanic - it is also on the list of the largest living moths.

1. Butterflies belong to one of the largest groups of insects - Lepidoptera. In addition to these creatures, this group also includes moths and moths. On the this moment Lepidoptera have about 157,000 species of insects.
2. These unique creations are the second largest pollinators after bees.
3. The science that studies butterflies is called lepidopterology.
4. the largest nocturnal butterfly thought to be Attacus aitas. Its wingspan is about 30 cm and it is often confused with a bird.
5. The most hardy butterfly in the world is called "Monarch". She can cover a distance of a thousand kilometers without stopping.
6. The maximum speed this little creature can reach is 12 miles per hour, but there are species that reach the mark of 50 km/h (31 mph).
7. by the most amazing fact about these creatures is that butterflies need the warmth of the sun in order to fly.
8. The 4 wings of butterflies are covered with scales, which are sacs with transparent ribbed walls. After a careless touch, they fall off, and the wings look faded. In fact, butterfly wings are transparent. The scales that cover the wing simply reflect sunlight and thereby give themselves color. In the rarest cases, scales in a butterfly are present in very small quantities or are completely absent.
9. The life cycle of these creatures consists of four phases: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult (butterfly). The eggs may have various forms: from spherical and round to cylindrical and angular. It depends on the type of butterfly.
10. An interesting fact: a butterfly lays its offspring in one place for many years in a row.
11. Butterflies never sleep.
12. In some Asian countries and South America butterflies are considered a delicacy!
13. The most complex organ of these amazing creatures is the eyes. They are made up of 6,000 tiny pieces called lenses.
14. The only continent where Lepidoptera do not live is Antarctica.
15. Butterflies are ancient creatures. Their images are present on Egyptian frescoes, which are more than 3.5 thousand years old.
16. Taste buds in butterflies are located on the paws, i.e. standing on the plant, they can taste it.
17. Butterflies are one of the most common collectibles among famous people world, such as: Nabokov, Rothschild, Bulgakov, Mavrodi.
18. The period during which the butterfly lays eggs lasts only a few days, but one individual can lay more than a thousand eggs.
19. Basically, all caterpillars live on land, but there is also a species of water caterpillars called broad-winged moths.
20. Basically, most butterflies have a short life - only a few days. However, there are instances with rather long life cycle: The Brixton butterfly is long-lived, its cycle lasts up to 10 months.
21. In the world there is more than one species of these insects, which can rightfully be considered the rarest. One of them is Queen Alexandra's sailboat, the largest butterfly on the planet. It is possible to find it only on the territory of Papua New Guinea and thanks to collectors, this species is on the verge of complete extinction.
22. Many butterflies have earned a place in the Red Book only because of their incredibly beautiful color, and some of these creatures are pests for crops.
23. There are several species of these beautiful creatures that do not eat at all during the entire imago cycle (the last stage of life). Such individuals live due to the energy accumulated during the period when the butterfly was still a caterpillar.
24. In Russian, the word "butterfly" is derived from the word "woman", as our ancestors believed that all witches become butterflies after death.
25. The Blue Dwarf is considered to be the smallest butterfly in the world, with a wingspan of only 1.4 cm.
26. AT tropical forests There is a species of butterflies of the New and Old Worlds, the males of which feed on the tears of animals.
27. Butterflies are nearsighted!
28. These creatures can even distinguish colors, however, not all of them. Each species sees some of its shades. So, for example, cabbage sees red, but satire does not distinguish it at all.
29. Peru and one Indian state, Sikkim, are considered the richest in the diversity of Lepidoptera species.
30. It turns out that the secret of the butterfly is hidden precisely in its scales on the wings. They maintain the temperature balance, and also increase the airworthiness.
31. The proboscis of a butterfly is a modified lower jaw that has been transformed into a sucking organ. But the butterfly caterpillar has quite strong jaws, thanks to which she can chew solid food.
32. The most common butterfly in Russia and Siberia is the Peacock eye. Thanks to his original drawing it is difficult to confuse it with any other: top part the wing has a cherry-brown color and a spot in the form of an eye, which is characteristic of this species, but completely black-brown below.
33. Butterflies are twilight creatures. Only some members of this group of insects are diurnal. Butterflies feed on nectar and other plant secretions containing sugar.

These creatures of incredible beauty at all times amaze people with their incredible variety of colors, bizarre shapes and intricate patterns. Butterflies are born in order to die, giving life to a new generation before that.

Video

Sources

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All metabolic processes in the body are based on the oxidation reaction, which releases energy used for life. As an oxidizing agent, all life on planet Earth uses the oxygen contained in the air. Butterflies do not have a lung-like organ, but they do have an air exchange system, and it is quite efficient. Oxygen enters through spiracles (stigmas) located on the chest and abdomen of the butterfly. There are up to 10 pairs in total, they are placed on the sides. The stigma subsequently opens into the trachea (breathing tube), which, gradually thinning, wraps around the internal organs. The movement of air through the respiratory tubes is provided by constant and rhythmic contractions of the abdomen. The number of contractions varies depending on the physiological state of the butterfly and the need for oxygen. The spiracles are protected from ingestion foreign objects and substances in abundance of hairs. At adverse conditions and irritation of the stigma, it has the ability to close and open.