Butterfly+or+Moth?+Know+the+difference

Butterfly or Moth? Know the difference What are they: Butterflies and moths are members of the orders of Lepidoptera ( Lepido = scale, ptera = wings.) Both butterflies and moths are holometabola, meaning they both undergo complete metamorphosis (Begin life from an egg, develops into a larval stage, forms a pupa, and emerges into the adult form.) Most members of Lepidoptera have a proboscis for a mouth which allows them to drink nectar from flowers by uncoiling the curled proboscis into the opening of the flower allowing access where many others cannot reach. (1) Figure 1

Butterfly: These Lepidoptera are diurnal, active during the day, are generally brightly colored and/or strikingly patterned. The butterfly distinctive physical traits are the club-tipped antennae and a noticeable habit of holding the wings vertically over the back while at rest. Like all holometabola they have four stages of life: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult (imago). Most butterflies, larvae and adults, feed on plants but each of them makes a diet of separate parts of the plants. (2) Other traits which can help identify butterflies are thinner bodies which also are not overly fuzzy with thin antennae.(4) Figure 2

Moth: These Lepidoptera are overwhelmingly nocturnal, active during the night, the opposite of their vibrantly colored counterparts; the butterfly. Moths’ bodies are generally stouter and have dull, night-blending colors. Their antennae are distinctively thick or feathery compared to the thin antennae butterfly. While at rest, the wings may be in one of three positions: folded into a tent-like shape over the body, wrapped around the body, or extended out at their sides. (3) As the same as all they have four stages of life: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult (imago) but unlike the diurnal counter-part, the moth’s pupa isn’t a hard chrysalis but a cocoon made of silk and other nearby materials. (4) Figure 3

Reference Image Fig 1 [] Fig 2 [] Fig 3 []
 * 1) 1. Marshall, Stephen. //Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity //. Buffalo,NY: Firefly Books, 2006. Print.
 * 2) 2. "butterfly." //Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition //. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. < [|**http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/86657/butterfly**] >.
 * 3) 3. "moth." //Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition //. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <[|**http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/393915/moth**]>.
 * 4) 4. "Butterfly vs. Moth: What is the Difference?." //Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory//. Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory, n.d. Web. 11 Nov 2013. .
 * 5) 5. . N.p.. Web. 11 Nov 2013. .

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