Top 10 Fascinating, Beautiful and Unusual Butterflies

Morpho menelaus

Morpho menelaus is one of the largest butterflies in the world with a wingspan of 5 to 6 inches. They are mainly found in the tropical forests of South and Central America. The menelaus morpho is easily recognized by its bright blue wings with black edges.

The wings of male morpho butterflies are often brighter and more beautiful than those of females. The inner side of the wings of Morpho menelaus is colored brown with a number of eye spots, which helps this species of butterfly camouflage itself from potential predators such as lizards, frogs and birds.

Morpho menelaus butterflies spend most of their time in the bushes of the lower layers of tropical forests, but appear in all parts of the forest during the mating season. These beautiful butterflies also release a strong odor from their glands if they are threatened by other animals. They mainly feed on leaves of various plants, mushrooms and rotting fruits.

Mating system

Mating cues

Male butterflies seek visual, olfactory, tactile and auditory cues from females during mating.[21] B H. charitonia

, specific host plants provide these signals to males, thereby influencing the timing and location of breeding. This occurs because when the larvae damage the plant by eating it, the green leaf volatiles, six carbon alcohols, aldehydes, and acetates, are released. They give olfactory signals to the male, thereby indicating the location of the pupa (buddy). Because these pupae are camouflaged and lack strong sexual pheromones, males rely on the olfactory signals of the damaged plant to find a mate. The smell also encourages males to recognize the location of the plant for future copulations. Butterflies' spatial memory is good enough that they can regularly return to roosting and mating sites.[22]

A common problem for all butterflies is to avoid mating with other butterfly species.[23] Mistakes are rare because males can distinguish between emissions produced by larvae and other herbivores. The larvae release volatile substances with a chemical composition similar to those emitted by the plant.[22] H. charitonia

Mating signals are controlled by several genes (they are pleiotropic), especially with regard to Müllerian mimicry.[24]

Pupa mating

The adults mate with the pupae as the males wait for the female to emerge from the pupae. After hatching, two or more males may fight to win copulation. The winner mates with the females and prevents other males from doing so through chemical transfer,[3][8] transferring a nutrient-rich spermatophore to the female, making her less attractive to other potential mates.[25]

Pupa mating occurred exactly once during the evolution of Heliconia

, and these species form a clade on the evolutionary tree. Although pupal mating is quite common in insects, it is rare in nature.[26] Males perform precopulatory guarding behavior in which males find and mount pupae, followed by copulation with the female.[22]

Once they reach the pupae, males often have to compete for copulation with the female, who is the general (newly emerged). Typically, the male visits the same pupa for at least a week, during which he periodically rummages through it, competing with other males for position. Fights consist of males fighting off other males who are trying to land on the same pupa with their wings open. If this does not help, the male tries to throw the intruder away with the force of his head and antennae. If more males try to attack the pupa, the two original males will work together to fight off the others while opening their wings, momentarily forgetting that they were originally competitors. Fights usually last one to two hours, but continue throughout the development of the pupa.

The act of mating a pupa involves the male inserting his abdomen into the pupa. If a second male appears, he fights off the other males by opening his wings during copulation, rather than attempting to mate with the female by inserting his belly. After two to three hours of mating, the female comes out and copulation continues for another hour. During this process, females remain relatively motionless except for spreading their wings and unloading. meconium. As copulation continues, fewer males attempt to approach the female. However, if this happens, the copulating male continues to ward them off by opening his wings. After copulation has occurred, the male and female sit side by side for some time. During this short period, no male attempts to mate with the female.[26]

Marriage gifts in the form of a spermatophore

Males transfer protein-rich spermatophore to females during mating. Spermatophores are wedding gifts that perform various functions, one of which is to provide chemicals (cyanogens) that protect the mother and future offspring from predators. This is beneficial for females because laying eggs depletes their protective chemicals. Among the nine Heliconias

species studied,
X. chartichonia
had the highest mean cyanide concentration in spermatophores.[27]

In most butterfly species, pheromones play a role in courtship and mate recognition,[21] and may play a role in mate deterrence. Spermatophores contain anaphrodisiac pheromones that reduce the attractiveness of females to subsequent males, suggesting evolution driven by intrasexual selection between males. This reduces female harassment of females. Spermatophores contain infertile sperm (apyrene) to enhance the anaphrodisiac effect. Thus, the transmission of anaphrodisiacs reduces female mating choice.[25]

Complete degradation of the spermatophore to an orange or yellow substance occurs within two weeks. Butterflies that mate with pupae love H. charatonia

considered monstrous; females rarely engage in more than one mating in their lifetime.[28]

Sex ratio and distribution

To delight, the ratio is heavily skewed towards women, but for the rest of the year the sex ratio is generally skewed towards men (68% male). This is because males usually stay near their birthplaces to find mates, while females move around to find oviposition or feeding on Passiflora

plants. Because females are very mobile, males rarely mate with relatives, and inbreeding rates are very low.[29]

Heliconid zebra

The zebra heliconid is a state butterfly of Florida, USA, officially declared in 1996. These butterflies have low-set, narrow wings with a zebra-like pattern, black with yellow stripes. The upper and inner parts of the zebra heliconid wings have the same pattern, but the color of the inner parts of the wings is much lighter.

These stunning butterflies are found throughout South and Central America. The wingspan of the zebra heliconid ranges from 72 to 100 mm.

The zebra heliconid is the only butterfly species that feeds on pollen. Scientists believe that nutrients from pollen help butterflies live longer (about six months) than other butterfly species. They also feed on leaves and nectar. Butterflies of this species make a hissing sound when they are threatened. At night they stay in groups and are found on tree branches.

Atlas

The second name of this butterfly is Prince of Darkness. She loves the dark. The butterfly is large. The wingspan of Atlas is 30 cm.

While the Prince of Darkness is in a caterpillar state, he gains strength. The caterpillar actively stores nutrients to feed itself when it transforms into a butterfly.

Many animals love to eat butterflies. Therefore, nature has come up with its own means of protection for these harmless flying creatures. If you look closely at the coloring of the Prince of Darkness, you will notice that the pattern on his wings resembles the head of a snake. Seeing a dangerous rival, the animals try to hide, mistaking the pattern on the insect's scales for a poisonous enemy.

Atlas cannot boast of a long life span. After birth, he enjoys this world for only ten days, and then dies.

Peacock Pansy

Peacock Pansy butterflies are easily identified by their adorable eye patterns. The countries of South Asia are the homeland of these amazing butterflies. The upper parts of the Peacock Pansy's wings are yellowish-brown with brown edges. The wings also have wavy stripes and beautiful "peacock eye spots" that appear more prominent and attractive on the undersides of the wings.

The patterns on the inside of the Peacock Pansy wings change with the seasons. During the rainy season, in contrast to the dry season, brighter patterns and eye spots form on the wings. The wavy lines along the edges of the inside of these butterflies' wings appear dull and less attractive compared to the pattern on the top of the wings.

Peacock Pansy butterfly eggs take 3 to 5 days to hatch. The leaves of the plant on which the eggs were laid become the main food of the caterpillars. The transformation from pupa to butterfly takes another 5-6 days. An adult Peacock Pansy butterfly has a wingspan of 54 to 62 mm. They mainly live in gardens and open areas.

Content

• 1 Description
• 2 Distribution and habitat
• 3 Subspecies
• 4 Behavior 4.1 Migration
• 4.2 Cover to deter predators
• 4.3 Specific recognition

Butterfly "eighty eight"

The unusual "88" butterflies, or diatric clymenias, are found in South and Central America. They are named for the black and white stripes on the inside of their wings that are shaped like the number 88. The same numbering is found in 12 different species of diatherium butterflies, but their coloring and patterns vary slightly.

The upper part of the wings of the "88" butterfly is black, and the front wings also have a stripe of blue and green. On the inside of the wings of these butterflies there are beautiful black stripes on a white and red background. The thickness and brightness of the black stripes vary among different species of "88" butterflies.

Butterflies live in small or large groups depending on the circumstances. These active butterflies are sometimes found in places where people live. They love to rest on rocks and fertile soil. These butterflies lay their eggs on the leaves of the trema, and their larvae feed on the leaves of this plant. The adult butterfly "88" has a wingspan of 35-40 mm. This species mainly feeds on rotten fruits.

Recommendations

1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 - Heliconius charithonia, Zebra Longwing." explorer.natureserve.org
   . Retrieved May 9, 2022.
2. ^ a b
   Beccaloni, G.;
   Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, K., ed. (2003). " Heliconium Charitonia
   ".
   Global index of Lepidoptera names
   . Museum of Natural History. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
3. ^ a b c d
   "Attributes of Heliconius charithonia". Retrieved November 14, 2013.
4. "Zebra Longwing." Retrieved November 14, 2013.
5. Ross, Gary N.; Fales, Henry M.; Lloyd, Helen A.; Jones, Tuppy; Sokoloski, Edward A.; Marshall-Betty, Kimberly; Blum, Murray S. (June 2001). "New chemistry of the protective glands of the abdominal cavity of the nymphalid butterfly Agraulis vanillae". Journal of Chemical Ecology
   .
   27
   (6):1219–1228. Doi:10.1023/A: 1010372114144. PMID 11504024. S2CID 2815219.
6. Kronforst, Markus R.; Fleming, Theodore H. (2001). "Lack of genetic differentiation among widely separated subpopulations of butterflies with home-range behavior." Heredity
   .
   86
   (2): 243–50. Doi:10.1046/j.1365-2540.2001.00830.x. PMID 11380670.
7. Cardoso, Marcio Z (2008). "Reconstructing the seasonal range expansion of the tropical butterfly Heliconius Charithonia in Texas using historical data." Journal of Insect Science
   .
   10
   (69): 1–8. Doi:10.1673/031.010.6901. PMC 3383412. PMID 20672989.
8. ^ a b
   "State Zebra Butterfly of Heliconian-Florida!" Archived from the original on August 13, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
9. ^ a b c
   Finkbeiner, Susan D.;
   Briscoe, Adriana D.; Reed, Robert D. (2012). "The benefits of a social butterfly: community deters predation." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
   .
   279
   (1739):2769–776. Doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.0203. PMC 3367783. PMID 22438492.
10. Sacledo, Christian. "Behavioral traits expressed during gatherings of Heliconius butterflies". Trope. Lepidus. Res 21.2 (2011): 80-83.
11. ^ a b
    Salcledo, Christian (2010).
    "Environmental elements involved in the general feeding of Heliconius butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)". Ecological entomology
    .
    39
    (3):907–11. Doi:10.1603/EN09340. PMID 20550805. S2CID 40169498.
12. Beebe, Seth M.; Monica D. Furong Yuan; Jorge Llorente-Busquets; Robert D. Reed; Daniel Osorio; Adriana D. Briscoe (2012). "UV photoreceptors and UV yellow pigments on the wings of Heliconius butterflies allow the color signal to serve both mimicry and intraspecific communication." American naturalist
    .
    1. 179
    (1): 38–51. Doi:10.1086/663192. PMID 22173459. S2CID 205998104.
13. Sacledo, Christian. Biology of Heliconius Night Roosting A Foundation. Thesis. UFDC, 2010. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press, 2010. Print.
14. Scott, JA. (1986). Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide.
    Stanford University Press.
15. ^ a b
    Estrada, Catalina;
    Jiggins, Chris D. (2002). "Pollen feeding patterns and habitat preference among Heliconius species". Ecological entomology
    .
    27
    (4): 448–56. Doi:10.1046/j.1365-2311.2002.00434.x. S2CID 84938497.
16. ^ a b c
    Salcledo, Christian. "Evidence for pollen digestion in nocturnal aggregations of Heliconius Sara in Costa Rica (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)". Trope. Lepidus. Res. 20.1 (2010): 35-37. Internet.
17. Belatran, Margarita; Jiggins, Chris D.; Brower, Andrew W. Z.; Birmingham, Eldridge; Mallett, James (2007). “Do Heliconius butterflies have pollen feeding, pupal mating, and larval gregariousness from the same origin? Inferences from Multilocation DNA Sequence Data.” Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
    .
    92
    (2):221–39. Doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2007.00830.x.
18. Cardoso, M. Z. (2013). "Pollen feeding, resource partitioning, and the evolution of chemical defenses in passionflower butterflies." Journal of Evolutionary Biology
    .
    26
    (6):1254–260. Doi:10.1111/jeb.12119. PMID 23662837. S2CID 206046558.
19. VanOverbeke, Dustin R. "Feeding ecology of the generalist herbivore Vanessa Cardui Linnaeus Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae on different larval and adult diets." Diss. University of California, Riverside, 2011
20. Cardoso, Marcio Z (2008). “Ecology, behavior and binomics: handling of plant trichomes by herbivores: the case of Heliconius Charithonia (L.) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and Passiflora Lobata (Kilip) Hutch. (Passifloraceae)". Neotropical entomology
    .
    37
    (3): 247–52. doi:10.1590/s 1519-566×2008000300002. PMID 18641894.
21. ^ a b
    Douglas, Matthew M. (1986).
    Life of butterflies
    . Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
22. ^ a b c
    Estrada, Catalina;
    Gilbert, Lawrence E. (2010). "Host and immature plants as mate-finding cues in Heliconius butterflies." Animal behavior
    .
    80
    (2):231–239. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.04.023. S2CID 53147646.
23. Boggs, Carol L., Ward B. Watt, and Paul R. Ehrlich. (2003). Butterflies: Ecology and Evolution Take Off
    . Chicago: University of Chicago.
24. Scoble, M. J. (1995). Lepidoptera: form, function and diversity.
    [London]: Natural History Museum
25. ^ a b
    Estrada, Catalina;
    Schultz, Stefan; Yildyzhan, Selma; Gilbert, Lawrence E. (2011). "Sexual selection drives the evolution of anti-aphrodisiac pheromones in butterflies." Evolution
    .
    65
    (10):2843–854. Doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01352.x. PMID 21967426. S2CID 37752151.
26. ^ a b
    Surakov, Andrey (2008).
    "Pupal mating in the zebra Longwing (Heliconius Charithonia): photographic evidence." News from the Society of Lepidopterists
    .
    50
    (1): 26–32.
27. Cardoso, Marcio Zikan; Gilbert, Lawrence E. (2006). “A man’s gift for his partner? Cyanogenic glycosides in the spermatophore of long-winged butterflies (Heliconius). Naturwissenschaften
    .
    94
    (1):39–42. Doi:10.1007/s00114-006-0154-6. PMID 16957921. S2CID 39830226.
28. Walters, James R.; Stafford, Christina; Hardcastle, Thomas J.; Jiggins, Chris D. (2012). "Estimating female lifespan in light of spermatophore degradation in Heliconius butterflies: pupa-mating monandry and adult-mating polyandry." Ecological entomology
    .
    37
    (4): 257–68. Doi:10.1111/j.1365-2311.2012.01360.x. S2CID 85187078.
29. Fleming, Theodore H.; Serrano, David; Nassar, Japhet (2005). "Dynamics of a subtropical population of the zebra longwing butterfly Heliconius Charithonia (Nymphalidae)". Florida entomologist
    .
    88
    (2): 169–79. Doi:10.1653 / 0015-4040 (2005) 088 [0169: doaspo] 2.0.co; 2.

Forest butterfly "Giant Owl"

The fascinating "giant owls" are known for the huge owl-like spots located on the inside of their wings. They are members of the owl butterfly family and are native to South and Central America. Large butterflies have a wingspan of 13 to 16 cm. The pattern of huge eyes located on the wings is actually similar to the eyes of many predators.

This helps "giant owls" escape potential predators such as lizards or frogs and threaten other small animals. The upper wings of butterfly owls are yellowish-brown with purple edges.

Butterfly owls can fly several meters in a short time. They usually fly through forests or agricultural fields in the evening. Owl butterflies primarily feed on fruits and live between 125 and 150 days.

Sylphina Angel

Pretty clear-winged butterflies live in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. The transparent inner part of the Sylphina Angel wings is framed by a black outer part. The beautiful tail reflects a fusion of green, blue and pink hues. They spend most of their time under plant leaves and fly only in intense sunlight. Previously, this species lived in mountain forests at high altitudes.

Butterflies prefer to fly and look for food alone. But on clear days they can also be observed in a group of tens to hundreds of butterflies under the leaves of plants. They migrate up to 320 km during the spring season to search for nectar-rich flowers.

Butterfly Apollo

The butterfly is easy to recognize due to its interesting white body and eye spots on the wings. There are several black spots on the front wings of butterflies, and the hind wings are decorated with four bright red spots. They are found in some specific areas of Italy, Spain and France and are one of the most endangered butterfly species in Europe. The size and brightness of the red eye spots on the wings of butterflies vary depending on their habitat.

Besides their beauty, Apollo butterflies are known for their defensive strategy. Their larvae are camouflaged with a dark color. Adult butterflies can no longer use camouflage due to the bright red spots, but they emit an unpleasant odor, threatening predators.

Glass butterfly

Based on the name, it is obvious that these butterflies have transparent wings. Another name for the glass butterfly is greta-oto. They live in Mexico and Colombia. The transparent wings of this species make it difficult for predators such as birds and reptiles to hunt. In fact, the red-brown border on the wings itself makes them visible but difficult to spot. Greta oto butterflies also migrate long distances to Florida.

Subspecies

• H. c.
  Charitonia , Ecuador
• H. c.
  simulator , Jamaica
• H. c.
  Bassleri , Colombia
• H. c.
  Churchi , Hispaniola
• H. c.
  Tuckery , Florida
• H. c.
  Vasquezes , From Mexico to Panama
• H. c.
  Ramsdeny , Cuba
• H. c.
  Antiquus , St. Kitts, Antigua

• H. c. simulator

  Jamaica

• H. c. Ramsdeny

  Cuba

• H. c. Ramsdeny

  Cuba

• H.c. Vasquez

  Panama

Sailboat palinur

The swallowtail palinur is a member of the large family of swallowtail butterflies. There are 550 different species in the world. The swallowtail palinur is also considered one of the most colorful and largest butterflies in the world. They are typically found in Southeast Asia. The palinura swallowtail has shiny green stripes on its wings and reflective blue and yellow structural coloration. The inside of butterflies' wings is black and orange with a row of blue spots along the edges.

Leaf Butterfly

The leaf butterfly is an outstanding example of amazing animal camouflage. The inside of the wings is dark brown, and the asymmetrical patterns and veins on it resemble dead leaves. Unlike the inside, the upper parts of the leaf butterfly's wings come in a variety of vibrant colors, including blue, brown, white and orange. They live in tropical forests of Asia.

The resemblance of their wings to dead or fallen leaves helps them easily hide from potential predators. They never fly long distances or at high speeds. Leaf butterflies typically rest in the area where they find food and only move when threatened. Camouflage tactics help these butterflies stay in one place for a long time. Nectar from flowers and fallen fruits are the main elements in the diet of leaf butterflies.