A colorful moth in the bank for Valentine's Day is an original gift. And, most likely, it will be a nymphalid butterfly - a representative of one of the lepidopteran families. The most numerous and replete with colorful representatives. But the world of butterflies is much more diverse and amazing. It is difficult to overestimate their importance in nature, and their transformation from a caterpillar to a beauty is amazing.
Flying flower
Since ancient times, these colorful creatures have astounded the imagination of man. According to ancient Greek legend, the goddess Flora, the patroness of flowers, prepared a gift for Zeus. She took the purity of the morning, the freshness of the stream, the sparkle of crystal dew and the fragrance of all the colors 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 him. And the flower took off - so from the kiss of Zeus butterflies appeared!
The most beautiful are nymphalids
Butterflies of this family lead a daily life, and it is with this that the colorful and varied coloring of their wings is associated. The Nymphalidae family includes about 1600 species widespread throughout the globe. They are not only in Antarctica. A distinctive feature of nymphalids is their large and brightly colored wings and flight features: the flap of the wings alternates with periods of soaring when the wings of the butterfly are kept open. In the representatives of this family, the forelimbs are short, covered with hairs and are organs of touch. But not a single vein is thickened on the wings, they are often painted on both sides and sometimes have very strange and bizarre patterns, laid out with many small scales on the wings.
Structural 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 senses - eyes and antennae - are located on the head. The distinguished parts of the oral apparatus are the proboscis and paired palps.
Three pairs of limbs and two pairs of wings depart from the thoracic part of the body. In nymphalid butterflies, wings are covered with small scales. These are modified hairs that are able to refract light in different ways. It is precisely on these features of the scales on the wings that the iridescent coloration of most butterflies depends (for example, like a mother-of-pearl butterfly). The size of the wingspan varies from 0.3 to 30 centimeters (the largest butterfly of the Antimach Sailboat ).
Butterfly World: a magical transformation
These insects have a complex life cycle with a complete transformation. Mature butterflies lay eggs, from which the caterpillars hatch - the so-called butterfly larva. They are the pests of crops, actively storing nutrients for further transformations. Caterpillars live in general, longer than butterflies, molt several times. Then comes the stage of peace and magic - the caterpillar turns into a chrysalis. She is motionless, does not eat, and seems to be dead. But this is not so - organogenesis processes take place inside the cocoon and all larval organs are replaced by organs of the adult - adult life form. After a different time (for example, for Machaon it is 2 weeks, and for wintering species it is six months), a fully formed butterfly emerges from the pupa, which spreads its wings for some time and flies away to live its life in the wonderful world of butterflies.
How many live and what butterflies eat
The life span of the butterfly is small. Tropical live up to a year, and insects of our region no more than 3 months. Some individuals die as soon as they fulfill their main function - reproduction. The expression "eats like a butterfly" has its basis. The type of feeding of nymphalid butterflies is completely different from that of their larvae. The caterpillar with its gnawing mouth apparatus eats constantly and in this - accumulation of nutrients - its function. Air butterflies have a sucking mouthpart and begin to use it only after the supply of nutrients accumulated by the larva is over.
With the help of a proboscis, butterflies absorb nectar from flowers, but they can also drink simple sugar syrup. Moreover, in volumes twice the weight of the moth. Rotting fruits, decomposition products, and even animal tears can be food for these amazing creatures.
Butterflies nymphalids need sodium to reproduce, which they receive from wet clay, excrement and animal carcasses. That is why the males of these butterflies sometimes gather together on the banks of streams or sandy beaches.
Amazing pheromones
Today, this word denoting the smell of love is known to all. But not many people know that the study of the influence of odorous substances on attracting a partner began precisely with butterflies. Some insects smell their partner several kilometers away.
Nymphalids have complex courtship rituals. These are mating flights and dances. Vanessa Cardi butterflies fluttering in pairs (Nymphalidae family, popularly a burdock woman, see picture), ordinary inhabitants of the middle latitudes, were seen by everyone who had a summer rest in a forest or field. And it is precisely with mating flights of butterflies that the tradition of releasing them during significant events in life is connected.
Both pests and pollinators
In nature, the importance of butterflies is very great. 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, ordinary inhabitants of Eurasia, are decomposers (consumers) - an important link in ecosystems.
Butterfly is unlikely to harm a person. But their larvae are pests of crops and fruit trees. For example, an apple moth can destroy the harvest of an entire apple orchard.
Butterfly in the house - for good
In accordance with popular signs, visiting your home with these insects is good news. In superstitions, butterflies are always associated with good events in human life. But you can keep them at home. More and more amateurs are turning their attention to such pets. In addition to aesthetic pleasure, this can be a good business plan.
For their maintenance, special floraria or insectariums are used. They create a favorable temperature and humidity for the life of a particular species. Butterflies are fed sugar syrup. And with the proper organization of the process, you will be provided with an unforgettable experience of the magic of transforming a caterpillar into a butterfly. And you are not threatened with depression and stress - in Stockholm there are even special clinics where patients undergo therapy in rooms filled with these magical creatures.
Amazing Nymphalids
There are so many amazing creatures among this family. We list only not many.
The glass butterfly Greta oto with a wingspan of up to 6 centimeters is found in South America. Its wings are transparent, since there are no scales on them and only the veins indicate that they are.
There is also the largest mother-of-pearl butterfly, Tizania Agrippina, whose wingspan will close the computer monitor.
The largest diurnal butterfly of Russia Maak Papilio maackii. This sailboat has a wingspan of up to 13 centimeters.
Morpho butterfly with optically colored blue or blue metal wings. Latin American Indians believed that this beauty was "a piece of heaven that fell to the earth." And that the souls of the dead move in these insects and rush up. In the rainforests, you can find whole carpets of these butterflies, gathering in wet areas in dry weather.