Body structure, wings, organs of vision, hearing and smell in butterflies...

A group of families of the order of moths, or as they are called - lepidoptera, are the second species in the class of butterflies. Most nocturnal butterflies, as their name suggests, are active at dusk or at night. Among other things, nocturnal butterflies differ from daytime butterflies not only in their temporary activity, but also in their structural features, because the body and wings of moths are thicker, and the color of the wings is duller and relatively monochromatic.

The antennae (antennae) of nocturnal butterflies are most often feathery or filamentous, and they are called multi-whiskered, while in daytime butterflies their antennae are club-shaped, and therefore, butterflies of the day group are also called club-whiskered.

Life cycle of night and day butterflies - from caterpillar to butterfly

Moths can lay eggs either singly or in groups. Female moths can lay eggs even on the fly, introduce them into plant tissue, or place them on pre-selected, various objects. At the first stage, from the eggs of moths, worm-like larvae appear in the form of caterpillars. They have a separate and hard head, and the chest is smaller than that of daytime ones, and they have three pairs of jointed legs with a terminal claw and an abdomen.

On the abdomen, as a rule, there are five pairs of false legs, the last pair of legs is located at the very end of the moth’s body. The false legs of all types of butterflies end in several bristles.

After several molts, the caterpillars of future moths turn into pupae, which in most of them are located in a silk cocoon woven by the larva. After a certain period of time, which depends on the type of moths and external conditions, an adult moth emerges from a pupa

The structure of night and day butterflies

For the most part, moths are very similar in appearance to each other, and their body consists of a head, chest and abdomen. The rather small head of the moth bears a pair of compound eyes and two clearly visible antennae. Most nocturnal butterfly species have two pairs of wings on their chests, and their bodies are covered with thick hairs and scales.

The mouth of moths looks like this - their proboscis, which folds into a flat spiral, is considered one of the most specialized mouths in the class of insects. When the moth is not feeding, its mouth is usually hidden under thick scales and is not visible. The unfolded proboscis of moths is well adapted for feeding; they use it to suck up liquid food, and with its base the proboscis opens directly into the butterfly’s throat.

Some species, as a rule, are the most primitive representatives of the nocturnal order of butterflies; in their adult state they have gnawing jaws, which are more characteristic of caterpillars and other groups of insects. site/node/2892

About butterfly wings and their structure

Typical moths, like the others, have two pairs of well-developed wings, which are densely covered with scales and hairs. However, the structure of the wings of butterflies is very diverse: in some species, they may be almost completely absent.

Butterfly wings - can be wide or narrow planes, which are almost linear structures. This is why the ability differs different types butterflies for flight.

In a number of moths, scales and hairs on the plane of the wings are practically absent, although this does not affect their ability to fly well. Their wings are narrow, and they do not need additional mechanical support, in the form of scaly cover.

In some species, rather small moths, the wings are so narrow that, most likely, they could not provide the butterfly with lifting force if not for the long bordering hairs on their wings. These hairs are located so densely on the wings of the butterfly that they significantly increase the area of ​​contact of the wings with the air, i.e. - its supporting surfaces.

Butterflies' sensory organs include smell, hearing and vision.

In night and day butterflies, on various parts its body contains special sensory structures, such as the organs of smell, hearing and vision.

Olfactory organs in butterflies - these organs are located on its antennae (antennae), in most moths, they are outgrowths, pineal or wedge-shaped with thin walls. They are supplied by a group of special sensory cells, which are usually located in the deeper layers of the cuticle, and are interconnected by branches of sensory nerves.

Speaking of smell, in many species of moths it is most likely very subtle; it has not been proven, but it is assumed that it is thanks to the sense of smell that butterflies find sources of food, just like representatives of the opposite sex.

Hearing organs in butterflies - all diurnal butterflies lack tympanic hearing organs, but some nocturnal butterflies have them. These mechanical receptors are located in butterflies in the lateral recesses, on its posterior chest, as well as in the first segments of the abdomen. In turn, these recesses are covered with a thin membrane, and under it is the tracheal cavity.

How a butterfly hears - sound waves propagating in the air activate the membrane, causing it to vibrate. In turn, vibration stimulates the excitation of sensory cells, which then transmit a signal to the branches of the sensory nerves.

The organs of vision in butterflies are their eyes.

As we said above, the main organs of vision in butterflies are its two large compound eyes, which in many of them occupy almost the entire upper part of the butterfly’s head. Such large eyes of a butterfly, characteristic of many other species of insects, consist of many elements of the same size and independent of each other, the so-called ommatidia. Each eye of a butterfly is a simple eye with a lens, containing a light-sensitive retina and nerve endings (innervation). site/node/2892

Judging by the behavior of butterflies, both diurnal and nocturnal, their visual acuity, like that of many other insects, is good only at close range, but they apparently see distant objects, but rather vaguely.

On the other hand, thanks to the independent work of many ommatidia, objects that come into motion, in their field of vision, are perceived by them, most likely, on an enlarged scale, because they cause excitation of hundreds, and maybe thousands of receptors nerve cells butterflies. Therefore, we can conclude that the eyes of butterflies are primarily intended for recording movements.

In conclusion, let's remember butterflies as insects

Butterflies, or as they are also called - Lepidoptera , like moths, moths, belong to the order of insects with a complete cycle of transformation. Most characteristic feature Representatives of this class of insects are distinguished by the presence of a thick covering of chitinous scales on the front and hind wings.

These scales are located in butterflies, on the veins, on the wings and on the plate between them. Most species of butterflies are characterized by a specialized oral apparatus with a proboscis that sucks food, formed by the elongated lobes of the lower jaw of the butterfly. The shape and wingspan of butterflies is very diverse, starting from 2 mm and ending with a size of 28 centimeters.

Lepidoptera are the fossil remains of butterflies, known since the Jurassic period; today butterflies are one of the most common types of insects - there are more than 157,000 species. Representatives of butterflies live everywhere, on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica.

Butterflies - structure, wings, organs of vision, smell, hearing...

Moths - how good they are! They flutter through the flowers - cute, fluffy... Stop! They are all wonderful, but their caterpillars! Among the so-called "moths" there are very dangerous pests - cutworms. There are several types of them. The most “famous” is the cabbage cutworm (Mamestra brassicae), there is also the raspberry cutworm, the gamma cutworm, and even the warlike cutworm (Eupsilia transversa). It is their caterpillars that damage the leaves of cabbage and many other plants.

WHO ARE SCOWS?

Owls are a large family of twilight and nocturnal butterflies of medium and large size (wingspan - 28-50 mm). The color is usually protective, gray-brown. Only some representatives have bright light stripes on the upper wings. The body of butterflies is plump and fluffy - those same cute moths. They feed on the nectar of flowers; in general, they are “harmless” creatures. Only their larvae are harmful.

The "harmlessness" of moths is deceptive. Females lay eggs on the underside of the leaf, and cabbage cutworm fertility reaches 1,500 eggs!

Larvae (caterpillars) up to 50 mm long. Depending on the species, they may be bare or covered with hairs. Color - gray, green, brown, often with a pattern of spots or stripes. Probably everyone has seen similar caterpillars on cabbage leaves.

Openwork holes on the leaves are not so bad. The most important thing is that the heads of cabbage are then poorly stored. In places of damage and accumulation of excrement, rot begins, which can destroy up to half the crop!

Most cutworm species are polyphagous. In addition to cabbage, they damage herbaceous plants and shrubs, including: phlox, gladioli, sedum, loosestrife, pepper, gooseberry, raspberry, currant, apple tree, plum, etc. Caterpillars roughly gnaw leaves, shoots, flowers and fruits, gnawing large holes in them. They feed mainly at night. During the day they hide in the soil or on the bottom of plants. They pupate in the ground at a depth of 5-10 cm. The pupa is brown, 20-40 mm long.

While the moths are flying, the gardener does not feel any danger. Butterflies are a natural addition to the summer garden. And only when the caterpillars appeared did the harvest sound the alarm! But we should have realized it much earlier!

WHAT TO DO?

First of all, prepare in ADVANCE for a butterfly invasion (this is advice for the next season). Make more active use of light and pheromone traps and sweet fermented compote against them (together with codling moths, cutworms also get into it).

The flight of butterflies is observed in the evening and at night, from the second half of June to the second half of August. It is during this period that measures must be taken.

The harmfulness of the caterpillars is enhanced by the fact that they gnaw deep holes in heads of cabbage, fruits and buds. Thus, they nullify all the efforts of the gardener, since a beautiful rose blooms with ugly petals, and “wormy” tomatoes cannot be used as food.

Moreover, inside the fruit or flower, the caterpillars become inaccessible to drugs and feed on them until adulthood. Therefore, it is very important to monitor the appearance of pests and try to destroy their eggs or younger caterpillars.

Lepidocide is effective against young free-living caterpillars. This is a biological insecticidal preparation.

It is also used for protection against silkworms, nuns, moths, leaf rollers, meadow moths, cabbage and turnip moths, hawthorn, moths, etc. Approved for use in gardens and personal plots.

Unlike chemical insecticides, lepidocide has a selective effect - it affects only susceptible insects. They do not have an addictive effect, so the dose rate of the drug remains unchanged. The drug is safe for humans, animals and environment. In addition, lepidocide does not accumulate in plants or soil and has absolutely no effect on the taste and color of fruits.

The butterfly belongs to the class insects, phylum arthropods, order Lepidoptera (lat. Lepidoptera).

The Russian name “butterfly” comes from the Old Slavonic word “babъka”, which denoted 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

The structure of the butterfly has two main sections: the body, protected by a hard chitinous shell, and the wings.

A butterfly is an insect whose body consists of:

• Head, inactively connected to the chest. The butterfly's head has a round shape with a slightly flattened occipital part. The round or oval convex eyes of the 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 perceive moving objects better than stationary ones. In many species, additional simple parietal eyes are located behind the antennae. The structure of the oral apparatus depends on the species and can be of the sucking or gnawing type.

• Breasts with a three-segment structure. The front part is significantly smaller than the middle and back part, where three pairs of legs are located, which have a structure characteristic of insects. On the shins of the butterfly's front legs 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 the butterfly are located on the border of the parietal and frontal parts of the head. They help butterflies navigate their surroundings by sensing air vibrations and various odors.

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

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

In macro photography, the scales on the wings of butterflies are very clearly visible - they can have completely different shapes and colors.

Butterfly wings – macro photography

The appearance and color of the butterfly’s wings serve not only for intraspecific sexual recognition, but also act as protective camouflage, allowing it to blend into its surroundings. Therefore, colors can be either monochrome or variegated with a complex pattern.

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

Classification and types of butterflies

The large order of Lepidoptera includes more than 158 thousand representatives. There are several classification systems for butterflies, quite complex and confusing, with constant changes occurring in them. The most successful scheme is considered to be one 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 a gnawing type mouthparts and antennae that 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 smallwing (lat. Micropteryx calthella);
• marigold smallwing (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 moth (lat. Asopia farinalis L.),
• spruce cone moth (lat. Dioryctrica abieteila).

3) Heterobathmyas, represented by one family Heterobathmiidae.

4) Proboscis butterflies, which make up the largest suborder, consisting of several dozen families, which include more than 150 thousand species of butterflies. The appearance and size of representatives of this suborder are very diverse. Below are several families demonstrating the diversity of proboscis butterflies.

• Family Sailboats, represented by medium and large butterflies with a wingspan from 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. Swallowtail butterfly;
  2. Sailboat "Glory of Bhutan";
  3. Queen Alexandra's Birdwing and others.

Swallowtail butterfly

• Family Nymphalidae, a characteristic feature of which is the absence of thickened veins on wide, angular wings with variegated colors and various patterns. The wingspan of butterflies varies from 50 to 130 mm. Representatives of this family are:
  1. Butterfly Admiral;
  2. Day peacock butterfly;
  3. Butterfly hives;
  4. Mourning butterfly, etc.

Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta)

Day peacock butterfly

Urticaria butterfly (Aglais urticae)

Mourning butterfly

• , represented by moths with narrow wings, the span of which does not exceed 13 cm and has a characteristic pattern. The abdomen of these insects is thickened and fusiform. The most famous butterflies of this family:
  1. Hawkmoth "death's head";
  2. Hawkmoth oleander;
  3. Poplar hawk moth.

• Owl Family, which includes more than 35,000 species of moths. The span of the furry wings, gray with a metallic tint, averages 35 mm. However, in South America There is a species of butterfly called tizania agrippina with a wingspan of 31 cm or the atlas peacock eye, the size of which resembles a medium-sized bird.

Where do butterflies live in nature?

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

What do butterflies eat?

The diet of many butterflies consists of pollen and nectar from flowering plants. Many species of butterflies feed on tree sap, overripe and rotting fruit. And the death's head hawk moth is a real gourmet, because it often flies into hives and feasts on the honey they collect.

Some nymphalid butterflies need various microelements and additional moisture. Their sources are excrement, urine and sweat of large animals, wet clay, and human sweat.

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

There are also “vampires” among butterflies. For example, males of some cutworm species maintain their strength thanks to the blood and tear fluid of animals. This is the vampire butterfly (lat. Calyptra).

Collier's Encyclopedia. - Open Society. 2000 .

The scoop, what is it, is a butterfly - a moth from a very large family, which consists of 15 subfamilies and over 35 thousand. Night owl belong to the even larger order Lepidoptera, which is represented by a huge number of moths, butterflies and moths.

Cutworms pests are considered the most dangerous and malicious insects of various cultures, despite its absolutely harmless appearance.

What does it look like?

Insect size. The average wingspan is 2.5-3 cm, the minimum is 0.8-1 cm, and the maximum belongs to the moth agrippina - a tropical beauty with a span of about 30 cm. It is one of the largest butterflies among the world fauna.

The length of the body of the imago is on average 12-15 mm, the length of the larvae (caterpillars) is 3.5-3.9 cm. The length of the pupa is 2-2.3 cm.

Photo of cutworm pest.

Appearance. The head is usually round, with simple antennae and large round eyes; they can be bare or fringed with short and long eyelashes. The proboscis is well developed, twisted in the form of a spiral. It contains taste receptors.

The entire surface of the body (chest, abdomen and head) is densely covered with scales and hairs. Many varieties have, in addition, specific tufts of long hairs. They can be located on different parts of the body.

There are brushes on the legs that cutworms use to clean their antennae, spines, and spurs. The auditory organs are located on the back and abdomen, superbly developed.

The wings are shaped like triangles - rounded, isosceles or elongated. The front ones are always longer than the rear ones and fold into the shape of a roof. In some species, the wings are adapted for long and high-speed flight, therefore have parallel edges and a long narrow shape.

The coloring is usually inconspicuous; the main color can be beige, gray, chestnut and dark brown. The front wings are painted round, wedge-shaped and oval spots, transverse lines, winding stripes.

The hind wings are most often plain, sometimes decorated with discoid spots and a border along the edge of a darker shade. The color is often faded, gray or beige, but some subfamilies have yellow wings, blue or red.

Cutworms are the only family of insects that have the ability to echolocate. They pick up ultrasound up to 150 kHz. They use this skill simultaneously with visual perception.

Where is it found?

Representatives of the largest family are distributed almost everywhere, including the tundra and deserts of the Arctic. Only in Europe, including Russia and CIS countries, about 2 thousand species live.

Features of development

Adult flight and mating begins in spring. During this period, the imago requires increased nutrition, which is possible only in the presence of suitable flowering plants.

After this, the female begins to lay eggs every day and continues throughout the entire period of her life. Within a week, caterpillars begin to appear. They are distinguished by their nocturnal activity and strong gluttony.

Having gone through all generations, spring caterpillar pupates in summer, hiding under leaves or in the ground. After some time, an adult butterfly emerges from the pupa.

Over the summer, 1 or several generations of pests may appear, depending on the characteristics of the species and weather conditions.

Optimal development conditions.

All cutworm species prefer warm weather, the most suitable temperature ranges from 21-28°. Reducing it to at least 17-18° causes a decline in the activity of all life processes, in butterflies there is underdevelopment of the products of the reproductive system, and fertility drops significantly.

Many types, in addition, can only exist under conditions of high humidity- no less than 80%. Given optimal criteria, huge populations of the pest develop.

During wintering the most favorable conditions is a mild winter without severe frosts and a thick layer of snow throughout the cold period.

How long does he live?

The full life cycle of a moth takes about 50-70 days. if there are favorable climatic conditions. The decrease in temperature slows down normal height and increases development time.

Eggs develop in 4-10 days, the caterpillar goes through 5-6 generations and up to 5 molts, this process takes on average 14-19 days.

Then the larva pupates and develops underground for about 14-16 days.

The lifespan of the imago after emerging from the pupa lasts from 12 to 25 days.

Scoop eggs

What do they look like?

Eggs are spherical or hemispherical in shape. The top is rounded, the bottom is flattened. The diameter varies from 0.4 to 0.9 mm. The color is most often light - it can be white, cream, light yellow, greenish, blue, pale brown.

The surface is usually ribbed and shiny, sometimes cellular. As they develop, the eggs may darken and change color. For example, bollworm eggs turn almost black. shortly before the larva emerges.

See photo for what cutworm eggs look like.

Where does it go?

The female hides the eggs, placing them on the ground, in plant debris, on inside fodder leaf blades or weeds. The shape of the masonry is irregular and asymmetrical. May be in the form of spots, winding rows and lines.

For additional protection, the female covers the eggs with its own hairs and scales or secretions of special glands.

What is the quantity in the clutch?

Female cutworms are famous for their fertility for good reason. One adult produces from 2 hundred to 3 thousand eggs during his short life. She lays eggs daily, placing them singly or in groups. A clutch can include from 2 to 150 eggs. The quantity depends on the type.

For example, the cabbage cutworm lays a clutch of 100 eggs, and the gamma cutworm lays eggs one or two at a time, with a maximum of 5.

Larva (caterpillar)

What does it look like?

It has an elongated thick body, most often naked, less often covered with sparse hairs. They can be evenly distributed throughout the body or group in small groups.

The main color is green, gray, yellow or chestnut, with purple and pink tints. A pattern characteristic of the moth family, it includes a longitudinal light stripe running along the back and thinner, darker stripes on the sides.

Photo of cutworm larvae.

The larvae have thoracic legs (3 pairs), abdominal legs (3-5 pairs) and false legs (4 pairs). The youngest and oldest caterpillars often do not have abdominal legs, or they are underdeveloped.

Stages of development.

During the growth process, cutworm caterpillars molt from 3 to 5 times, depending on the species and living conditions. They go through 5 or 6 generations. Larvae of the first two instars are considered young., adults - the last two. In many species of cutworms, it is the adult larvae that hide for the winter, which, after emerging, severely damage young shoots, seeds and buds of food plants.

Scoop caterpillars photo.

The stages of development are not very different from each other in appearance, only the proportions of the torso and head change. The initially large head shrinks and the body elongates. The coloring remains largely unchanged.

Insect pupa

What does it look like? Pupae predominantly closed type, colored reddish-chestnut, less often reddish and dark brown. The cremaster has 2 to 4 spines or projections.

Pupation occurs in the soil or litter of plant debris; the pupa is covered with a cocoon of cobwebs.

What does it eat?

During flight and mating, the imago feeds on pollen from flowering plants. without causing them the slightest damage. The armyworm and its caterpillars are a serious problem, eating above-ground parts and destroying plants.

Cutworm caterpillars fall into three categories:

1. Intrastem— settle in thick stems and feed on their contents, causing the death of the entire plant.
2. Gnawing- live in the ground, gnaw roots and basal parts.
3. Leaf-eating- live on plants, eating all the green mass - leaves, young stems and shoots, buds and inflorescences. Most representatives of the noctuid species fall into this category.

Owl butterfly photo.

What plants does it damage?

The noctuid family consists almost entirely of polyphages. The cutworm is classified as a pest of cereals, vegetables, ornamentals, fruit pome and stone fruits., industrial, legumes, cruciferous, oilseeds, berries, coniferous, greenhouse, greenhouse crops, grapevines, perennial grasses, lawns, nurseries and meadows.

In general, we can say that the percentage of plants that do not attract cutworm caterpillars is very small.

What harm does it cause?

Cutworms have long been considered dangerous pests of various crops., some species are classified as quarantine type. These are bollworms, meadow cutworms, Asian cottontail cutworms, cabbage cutworms and Finnish cutworms.

To completely destroy 10 plants overnight, only 2-3 to 7-8 caterpillars are required different types. Therefore, the damage caused by cutworms is colossal and amounts to up to 100% of the entire harvest.

Some species are also barn pests. Once in storage, they do not die, but continue to eat grain stored in storage. Such types of cutworms as grain and ordinary grain, dry grain seems no worse than fresh.

It should be taken into account that what better conditions habitat, the more fertile the females, the more active the caterpillars, the faster the destruction of poor plants occurs. The greatest damage is caused by the older caterpillars of the latest generations.

Where does it winter?

For the winter, cutworms hide thoroughly, burrowing into the ground to a depth of 10 cm. In addition, they can settle in heaps of plant debris, under hay or straw. Grain pests can overwinter in storage facilities and on drains.

Conclusion

Still, why are butterflies called scoops? The head of all species is emphasized by a collar of soft, dense hairs, which is located immediately behind it. This external feature distinguishes the moth from other butterflies and gives them a slight resemblance to predatory owls. The similarity is enhanced by the modest colors of the wings and nocturnal lifestyle.

These qualities only increase the difficulty with harmful cutworms. However, it is vitally important to destroy butterflies, their larvae and clutches of eggs. for the benefit of your plants. It is very disappointing to lose all the efforts of your labors because of some small insects.

Useful video!