A colorful moth in a jar for Valentine's Day is an original gift. And, most likely, it will be a nymphalida butterfly - a representative of one of the Lepidoptera families. The most numerous and replete with colorful representatives. But the world of butterflies is much more diverse and amazing. Their importance in nature cannot be overestimated, and their transformation from caterpillar to beauty is amazing.
Flying flower
Since ancient times, these colorful creatures have captured the imagination of man. According to ancient Greek legend, the goddess Flora, the patroness of flowers, was preparing a gift for Zeus. She took the purity of the morning, the freshness of the stream, the brilliance of crystal dew and the fragrance of all the flowers of the world. From these components, she created a flower that had no equal on earth, and presented it to Zeus. The supreme god was so impressed by the beauty of creation that he kissed it. And the flower flew up - so butterflies appeared from the kiss of Zeus!
The most beautiful are nymphalids
Butterflies of this family are diurnal and this is the reason for the colorfulness and variety of colors of their wings. The family Nymphalidae includes about 1600 species widely distributed throughout the globe. They are not found only in Antarctica. A distinctive feature of nymphalid butterflies is their large and brightly colored wings and flight features: the flapping of the wings alternates with periods of soaring, when the wings of the butterfly are held open. In representatives of this family, the forelimbs are short, covered with hairs and are organs of touch. But on the wings not a single vein is thickened, they are more often colored on both sides and sometimes have very strange and bizarre patterns lined with many small scales on the wings.
Building features
The body of these insects has an external chitinous skeleton and three parts - the head, chest and abdomen, covered with many small hairs and scales. The sense organs - eyes and antennae - are located on the head. The distinguishable parts of the mouth apparatus are the proboscis and paired palps.
Three pairs of limbs and two pairs of wings extend from the thoracic region of the body. In nymphalid butterflies, the wings are covered with small scales. These are modified hairs that are able to refract light in different ways. It is from these features of the scales on the wings that the iridescent color of most butterflies depends (for example, like a mother-of-pearl butterfly). The size of the wingspan varies from 0.3 to 30 centimeters (for the largest butterfly Antimachus Sailboat).
Butterfly World: Magical Transformation
These insects have a complex life cycle with complete metamorphosis. Sexually mature butterflies lay eggs, from which caterpillars hatch - this is the name of the butterfly larva. They are the pests of agricultural crops, actively storing nutrients for further transformations. Caterpillars live as a whole, longer than butterflies, molting several times. Then comes the stage of peace and magic - the caterpillar turns into a chrysalis. She is motionless, not eating, and seems to be dead. But this is not so - the processes of organogenesis take place inside the cocoon and all larval organs are replaced by the organs of the imago - the adult life form. After a different time (for example, for Machaon it is 2 weeks, and for wintering species it is half a year), a fully formed butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, which spreads its wings for some time and flies away to live its life in the wonderful world of butterflies.
How long do butterflies live and what do they eat
The life span of a butterfly is short. Tropical live up to a year, and insects of our region no more than 3 months. Some individuals die immediately as soon as they fulfill their main function - reproduction. The expression "eats like a butterfly" has its basis. The type of nutrition of nymphalid butterflies is not at all the same as that of their larvae. The caterpillar, with its gnawing mouthparts, eats constantly, and in this - the accumulation of nutrients - is its function. Air butterflies have sucking-type mouthparts and begin to use it only after the supply of nutrients accumulated by the larva runs out.
With the help of the proboscisbutterflies suck nectar from flowers, but they can also drink simple sugar syrup. Moreover, in volumes twice the weight of the moth. Rotting fruit, decay products and even animal tears can be food for these amazing creatures.
Nymphalid butterflies need sodium for reproduction, which they get from wet clay, excrement and animal corpses. That is why the males of these butterflies sometimes gather together on the banks of streams or sandy beaches.
Amazing pheromones
Today, this word for the smell of love is known to everyone. But not many people know that the study of the effect of odorous substances on attracting a partner began with butterflies. Some insects can smell a mate several kilometers away.
Nymphalids also have complex courtship rituals. These are mating flights and dances. Fluttering in pairs of butterflies Vanessa Cardi (family Nymphalida, popularly - burdock, see picture), ordinary inhabitants of middle latitudes, were seen by everyone who rested in the forest or field in the summer. And it is with the mating flights of butterflies that the tradition is connected to release them at significant events in life.
Both pests and pollinators
In nature, the importance of butterflies is very high. First, they form an important link in the food chains of ecosystems. And not only adults, but also their larvae. Adult butterflies are pollinators of some plants. Butterflies Admiral and Urticaria, common inhabitants of Eurasia, are decomposers (consumers) - an importantlink in ecosystems.
A butterfly is unlikely to harm a person. But their larvae are pests of crops and fruit trees. For example, an apple sapling can destroy the crop of an entire apple orchard.
A butterfly in the house is good
According to folk signs, visiting your home by these insects is good news. In beliefs, butterflies are always associated with good events in a person's life. But you can keep them at home. More and more lovers are turning their attention to such pets. In addition to aesthetic pleasure, this can also be a good business plan.
For their maintenance, special florariums or insectariums are used. They create a favorable temperature and humidity for the life of a particular species. Domestic butterflies are fed with sugar syrup. And with the right organization of the process, unforgettable impressions of the magic of turning a caterpillar into a butterfly are provided to you. And you are not in danger of depression and stress - there are even special clinics in Stockholm where patients undergo therapy in rooms filled with these magical creatures.
Amazing Nymphalidae
There are so many amazing creatures among the representatives of this family. To list just a few.
The glass butterfly Greta oto with a wingspan of up to 6 centimeters is found in South America. Her wings are transparent as they have no scales and only veins indicate that they areyes.
There is also the largest mother-of-pearl butterfly Tizania Agrippina, the wingspan of which will close the computer monitor.
The largest diurnal butterfly in Russia Maaka Papilio maackii. This sailboat has a wingspan of up to 13 centimeters.
Morpho butterfly with blue or light blue metallic wings. The Indians of Latin America believed that this beauty is "a piece of heaven that has fallen to earth." And that the souls of the dead move into these insects and rush up. In rainforests, carpets of these butterflies can be found congregating in wet areas during dry weather.
