Votre navigateur ne prend pas en charge la Java This order of almost 150,000 named species takes its name from the Greek Lepidos, scale and ptera, wing. Most of them possess two pairs of wings covered with scales in all sorts of wonderful colors and patterns. They may measure just a few millimeters or, as we see in Attacus of Malaysia and Agrippina of Mexico, up to 30 centimeters. Generally butterflies feed by means of a sort of coiled tongue (spiritromp), which is used to suck the nectar produced by flowers.  In some species this tube may be longer than the insect’s whole body (sphingidae)! In a few species, on the other hand, the mouth parts are atrophied to such an extent that the butterfly is unable to feed at all and must live off reserves accumulated when a caterpillar.

 Butterfly development is said to be holometabolic, meaning the juvenile is physically very different than the adult (imago). When young, the grub-like larva is called a caterpillar.

 They are commonly placed in one of two rather unscientific sub-orders: the Rhopalocera (diurnal or day butterfly) and Heterocera (nocturnal butterflies).

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The wing shown on the left here is always the top surface or “inside” of the wing (seen when the butterfly spreads its wings in repose). The wing on the right, removed from the body, is the underside (bottom).

 The scientific name appears in italic and, when known, is followed by the name of the person who discovered or named it, with the date in parenthesis.

 Ex. Papilio ulysses ulysses, Linneaus (1758)