Name of butterflies in alphabetical order. Top ten most beautiful butterflies in the world

Family and relationships 18.06.2019

Family and relationships

Butterflies are amazing insects who own a large number of records in the world of fauna. And the most obvious is the color option. There are several thousand of them.

There are several classifications of butterflies, which sometimes contradict each other. It is easiest to divide them into day and night. In accordance with another system, all butterflies, except for some ancient families, belong to the group of Lepidoptera. In it, club-whiskered, or diurnal butterflies, are best known, the antennae of which are expanded at the end and form a thickening resembling a mace. In addition, in a calm state, they do not fold their wings like a roof on their backs, but keep them spread out or lift them up and lean one against the other.

There are more than 200 families of these fluttering beauties in the world fauna. We present only a small part of them. The family Real moths includes small butterflies with a rudimentary proboscis. Their larvae feed on food, tinder fungus and pet hair. In apartments and houses, there may be a fur coat, carpet or clothes moth. They, without exception, eat fur, woolen fabrics or products at the caterpillar stage, and also damage the skin.

The clothes moth is the smallest among the other two: its wingspan reaches only 9-12 mm. The largest family is the Leafroller family, which is represented by small butterflies with pronounced wings. They got this name because in most species of caterpillars they twist leaves around themselves. Extremely dangerous pest forests is a green oak leafworm. Once every few years there are outbreaks of wholesale reproduction of this type of butterfly, after which its larvae completely eat the leaves of oaks.

Outwardly similar to wasps, glass butterflies due to their unusual color and transparent wings, they bypass the fate of being swallowed by birds, as their birds are mistaken for wasps. The caterpillars of certain glassworts are found inside the trunks and branches of trees, while others are found in the underground parts of grasses.

Important pests of forests are also moths from the Woodworm family, which appear in the second half of summer. Their larvae breed in the wood of an old tree. Once they have finished breeding, these large, red-colored adorable creatures crawl along the ground in search of the perfect space to pupate. A long time ago, such a bright caterpillar met one superstitious person near the cemetery and inherited the name "worm of the dead."

In the family of small and medium-sized moth butterflies, there are those that bring considerable harm to humans. These are corn and meadow moths, mill moth (its caterpillars damage dried fruits, grain and flour).

The family Peacock eyes got its name due to the fact that on each wing of such butterflies there is an incredibly beautiful, actually similar to a peacock, eye. Adults are sometimes very large, and their huge caterpillars are covered with warts. Peacock-eye pear, also known as a large nocturnal peacock eye, is the largest Russian butterfly. Many types of such beautiful winged creatures are listed in the Red Books of different countries.

Fluttering beauties from the Brazhniki family are taken under state protection and are considered the best flyers. Such butterflies are not only extremely fast, but also very mobile. Moreover, they can hang in the air and, hanging over a flower, extract nectar from there without touching the bud. The front wings of these butterflies are long and narrow, while the hind wings are wide and short. The Moth caterpillar can be easily recognized by the sharp spike at the end of the body.

In this group of butterflies, many species are remarkable for their behavior. So, for example, the Dead Head, which is endowed with a peculiar pattern on the back, is a real night robber. This "sweet tooth" steals honey from bees, piercing honeycombs with its small but strong proboscis. And in order to lull the vigilance of the owners, the hawk moth begins to buzz.

The family of True silkworms has only one genus with a single species - silkworm. This butterfly people began to breed since time immemorial, and in nature it is difficult to meet. It is believed that the first who "domesticated" the silkworm were the Chinese four thousand years ago. Caterpillars are located in specially designed rooms for them and they feed on mulberry leaves - mulberries. When development is complete, the larvae begin to pupate, weaving a velvety cocoon. After that, the pupae are destroyed by steam, and the cocoons are untangled with the help of special devices. This is how a natural silk thread comes out.

Moth moths are very species-rich and a group that is difficult to identify. This family inherited its name due to the fact that the moth caterpillars, during movement, pull the rear end of the body to the front, as if folding in half. These butterflies have a modest color and are inconspicuous. Even more invisible are their caterpillars, which at rest are very similar to a twig or petiole of a leaf.

Larvae certain types of this family can cause significant damage to a garden or forest. For example, the winter moth eats the leaves and buds of fruit trees, while the pine moth harms pine, spruce, and cedar. The small family Marching silkworms unites butterflies, the reproduction of which is carried out on trees. Sometimes outbreaks of mass reproduction occur among such insects. Then their larvae cluster into large groups and move, lining up in a row one after another. The spectacle of the “building” of such caterpillars captivates not only with the number of specimens, but also with the coherence of their actions.

Flashes numerous breeding are also characteristic of the woolly beauties from the Volnyanka family - yellow-tailed, golden-tailed, gypsy moth and nuns. The penultimate species was named because of the sharp difference between the sexes: females are larger and have white wings, while males are much smaller and brown.

A large number of species, of course, in the family of nocturnal scoop butterflies. There are more than 25 thousand of them. This type of butterfly is very easy to recognize by its short, very heavily pubescent body and dense abdomen, as well as by the special pattern of the wings. In most scoops, it consists of wavy stripes and patterns. by the most large species in Russia, tapeworms are considered to be an ideal example of conspiracy. Their front wings are so similar to the bark of trees that it is very difficult to distinguish a butterfly that is on the trunk, even in close proximity. But the hind wings of such beauties, on the contrary, are very colorful, with blue, crimson or orange stripes.

There are a lot of species in this family that are harmful to agriculture or forests. For example, caterpillars of winter scoops eat the underground part of winter crops. The brightly colored and colorful bear butterflies got their name from their unusually heavily shed caterpillars. This cover protects the larvae from birds - the hairs of their bodies are prickly, hard and burning. Such caterpillars feed mainly on grasses and they do not bring much harm. One of the groups of bear butterflies - lichen butterflies - has switched to feeding on lichens that grow on tree trunks.

The family of Cavaliers, they are also Sailboats, are the most beautiful butterflies in our country. Their hind wings resemble pigtails. They can fly without flapping their wings. The caterpillars of the Cavaliers have an odorous gland on their chest, which, at the slightest danger, extends in the form of a small fork. In Ukraine and Russia, you can find such types of butterflies as: swallowtail, black Apollo and podalirium. However, all these species are quite rare and are listed in the Red Book.

Most beautiful sailboats found in the tropics. Representatives of this species are Indonesian birdwings, which are endowed with magnificent coloring, as a result of which they are called in another way paradise ornithopters.

Almost everyone has known about the families of Belyanok since childhood. It includes Cabbage, Lemongrass and Hawthorn. This is one of the most common butterflies. Around the world there are approximately 1500 species of whites. Most of them are characterized outward difference between females and males. So, for example, in the male individual of the cabbage, there are no black spots on the front wings, unlike the females, and in the lemongrass, the males are yellow in color, and the females are pale green. Whites also include turnips, rutabaga and incredibly beautiful butterflies- jaundice.

Representatives of the Velvet family are distinguished by underdeveloped front legs and a couple of swollen veins at the beginning of the front wings. They have a very modest color: brown, dark brown or red. However, on the wings, one can often see diverse eye spots. Caterpillars of such butterflies feed on cereals. Most of the Marigolds have names taken from Greek mythology: Circe, Antaeus, Galatea, Ishgolita, Briseis and Megaera.

The Nymphalidae family is also endowed with underdeveloped front legs, but the veins at the base of the front wings are not swollen. In addition, the representatives of this are very bright and more beautiful than the Marigolds. This is the most luxurious and numerous family of diurnal butterflies. Many people know such representatives of the Nymphalids as Urticaria, mourning and the daytime Peacock eye, Checkers, Mother of pearls, ugolokrylnitsa, iridescent and motley-winged.

Relatively small representatives of the Golubyanka family do not always justify their name. The corresponding color is mainly only males, and females are painted in nondescript brown colors. There are also representatives of this family with bright red, brown and even green wings. The caterpillars of such butterflies feed, as a rule, on herbs (mainly sorrel or clover), and therefore pigeons can often be found in meadows. Larvae of certain species live in anthills and eat aphids and sometimes ant eggs. The owners also do not remain at a loss - a piece of iron located on the back of the caterpillar produces sweet nectar, if it is slightly tickled with antennae.

Man is considered the master of our planet. But the world around us is so multifaceted and diverse, and is inhabited by just a huge number of living organisms. Quite often, we do not even notice and do not know about the existence of many of them. It is known that to date, biologists have described about one and a half million different species of living organisms. Of these, about two-thirds are insects.

Butterflies - representatives of the order Lepidoptera

Insects do not always look attractive, but among these representatives of the fauna there is a rather interesting and original detachment. It's about about butterflies. Butterflies are representatives of a class of insects such as arthropods. AT general classification Butterflies form a whole detachment called Lepidoptera.

Quite a few representatives belong to the Lepidoptera order, and most of them have not been studied enough. It is believed that today the planet is found about two hundred thousand species of butterflies. Moreover, only about half of them are known species butterflies. Butterflies inhabit all continents except Antarctica.

Of the diversity of these insects, only about five thousand are common on the European continent. The rest are tropical forests. Given the nature of the climate and the fact that the main purpose of butterflies is pollination of plants, it is in tropical forests there are the brightest and most diverse representatives of the Lepidoptera order.

Butterflies are quite ancient creatures. Fossil evidence suggests that These insects have inhabited the Earth since the Jurassic period.

Butterflies are insects. What unites them with this type and what are the differences? Similar features include the following:

the body of moths is composed of segments and covered with chitinous "skin";
the jointed limbs of butterflies consist of three pairs;
in Lepidoptera, as well as in the vast majority of insects, there is a proboscis.

The main difference of this group is the presence scales that cover the body and wings. On the body of one butterfly there can be about a hundred thousand of these scales. They are the ones who form color scheme and features appearance. Scales are pigmented and determine the color of a particular individual, as well as optical, the purpose of which is the refraction and reflection of light.

Butterfly species classification

When classifying butterflies, a variety of approaches and criteria are used. It takes into account what types of butterflies are known. For example, they can be distinguished by way of life on night and day. They differ from each other in body and color.

daytime butterflies there are quite large sizes, come across just huge. Birdwings or Queen Alexandra's Sailboats have a wingspan of 32 centimeters.
Among moths you can highlight the butterfly Dead Head, which weighs 9 grams and has an original pattern.

In addition to the way of life, butterflies can be distinguished by the number of species. Very common in nature common species, for example, Burdock, which lives on all continents except South America, and rare moths, of which there are almost a few. An example is Apollo vulgaris, Mnemosyne and others.

Among specialists, the most objective is considered division of butterflies into 4 suborders. What are the types of butterflies? Let's consider them in more detail.

1) Primary tooth moths. This suborder is characterized by small body size and small wings (4-15 mm). This suborder oral apparatus gnawing kind. hallmark tendrils serve big size. Their length is up to 75% of the dimensions of the front wings. This family is represented by 160 species of butterflies. As members of the family can be called:

golden small-winged;
marigold smallwing.

2) Proboscis butterflies. These insects with the previous suborder are quite similar. Distinctive external features These individuals are wings covered with microscopic cream or black scales and no larger than 25 mm in size. This sub-order includes the following representatives:

flour fire;
fir cone moth.

3) heterobatmia represented by one family.

4) proboscis butterflies. This suborder is the most numerous. It includes several dozen families and has more than 150 thousand species. This suborder is characterized by a variety of representatives: their appearance and sizes. Consider some of the most characteristic families of proboscis butterflies.

Family sailboats. Representatives of this family are quite large with large wings (from 50 to 280 mm). In these individuals original drawing on the wings, consisting of spots of various sizes of black, red or blue color. The most striking for this family are the Swallowtail butterfly and the Glory of Bhutan sailboat.
In the next family of butterflies characteristic feature wide angular wings without thickened veins, variegated colors and various patterns serve. This family Nymphalides. Individuals of this family have wings ranging in size from 50 to 130 mm. Characteristic representatives can be called the Admiral butterfly, Daytime peacock eye and others.
Family hawks. These are night butterflies. They have narrow wings no more than 13 cm and a special pattern. The body of such butterflies has a spindle shape. Hawk Moths include: Oleander Hawk Hawk, Dead Head Hawk Hawk and others.
Another large family of night butterflies is the family scoops. It has over 35,000 species. The width of the wings of these individuals is on average 35 mm, and their color is gray with a metallic sheen. Veste with the fact that a number of rather exotic specimens belong to this family, for example, Tizania agrippina lives in South America and has the size of a medium bird.

Such varieties of lepidoptera insects can be distinguished.

Butterflies are rather extraordinary and mysterious representatives of the fauna. A number of beliefs are associated with them. For example, it is customary for some peoples to ask a butterfly for rain, because it flies high and can transfer the request directly to the “heavenly office”. Another belief: a butterfly that has flown into a dwelling is perceived as a symbol of good luck and family well-being. In South America, moths are protected from fire, considering them to be harbingers of positive changes in life.

These are the butterflies. Mysterious and bright, interesting and not fully understood.

Butterflies ... These delightful creatures have inspired artists and poets at all times. They captivate with their beauty and lightness. You can probably spend hours watching the flight of butterflies, the flutter of their delicate wings and smooth movement. Some types of butterflies are often found in our latitudes and therefore seem quite familiar and less attractive. But there are hundreds of thousands of species of butterflies in the world.

In Japan they say: “To see a butterfly in your house is fortunate!”

The most beautiful butterflies

It is impossible to give a single answer to the question which of the butterflies is the most beautiful. Each of them is unique and good in its own way. But, of course, a surprise gift in the form of bright, colorful butterflies can fill the room with magic! Choose and buy butterflies by low prices You can on this site with delivery in Moscow. Such a gift will be unforgettable! I wonder which butterflies are regularly included in the lists of the most beautiful? Below will be presented the most beautiful butterflies in the world with names, as well as photos of beautiful rare butterflies.

Butterfly Prince

This insect is considered the largest night butterfly. Its front wings are curved in such a way that they imitate the head of a snake, which scares away enemies. This natural feature allows the insect to survive. Such a coloring of a butterfly of a person, of course, does not frighten, but rather delights. Indeed, how inventive nature can be!

The peculiarity of these butterflies is that their mouth apparatus is not at all developed. "But how do they eat?" - many will think. The thing is that they live only one or two weeks and exist thanks to the processing of fat reserves accumulated in the cocoon.

Another name for the butterfly is Prince - Peacock-eyed Atlas

Butterfly Birdwing

This butterfly also reaches large sizes, however, it is active during the day, which is why it is called diurnal. Such interesting name the insect received thanks to its amplitude, like a bird's wingspan, which can reach 32 cm.
The birdwing is considered one of the rarest species of butterflies. It lives only in a small town in New Guinea. Because of this, the Birdwing is a valuable specimen for many collectors.
The wings of the male Birdwing shine blue and in green, outwardly even somewhat reminiscent of the leaves of tropical plants. But the females are less bright, their wings are painted in black, cream and yellowish colors.

Another name for this butterfly is Queen Alexandra's Birdwing, named after the wife of the English King Edward VII.

Butterfly Urania

This motley tropical butterfly lives in Madagascar. Urania has a truly marvelous color. Separate parts of the wings are colored with black pigment, colorless scales lie between them. These scales refract light, making the butterflies appear colorful and change color depending on which angle you look at them from.
In Madagascar Urania, orange, red and purple prevail in color. Interestingly, the pattern on the wings may not be symmetrical, which is due to the influence of external factors at the pupal stage.

The most beautiful Urania was recognized by the international scientific congress

Butterfly Greta

Translated into Russian, the name of this butterfly sounds like "glass". This name is absolutely justified, because its wings are transparent, as if made of glass, and only on the periphery are bordered with a black-brown ribbon. This insect is found in Central and South America. It is believed that the butterfly is very common in this region, but it is not at all easy to notice it, because it is almost transparent. This is an excellent camouflage that allows butterflies to hide from predators.

Butterfly Greta Oto is poisonous to predators, so they are in no hurry to eat it

Butterfly Kallima

Callima can be found in the tropics of Asia and Africa. This species of butterflies is primarily interesting for the unusual contour of its wings. The upper wings of the butterflies are painted in stripes of black, orange and blue, harmoniously flowing into each other.
But how bright they are during the flight, they become so invisible when they sit down on the foliage and fold their wings. The thing is that the reverse surface of the wings is painted in a greenish color, which allows the Callima so successfully to disguise itself as foliage.

Callima butterflies are also called leaflets. Its folded wings resemble the contours of a leaf.

Butterfly Parides Arkas

These are butterflies from the sailboat family, of medium size. The body and wings of the insect are black, with scarlet and blue spots. These are very active butterflies that will fly around the room, and when they sit down somewhere, they will continue to open and close their wings. Amazing, fragile creatures that can captivate anyone with their beauty!

This butterfly is distributed from Mexico to Peru.

Butterfly blue Morpho

This butterfly is of medium size, its wingspan is usually no more than fifteen millimeters. But she captivated people not at all with these parameters, but with her amazing beauty. The scales of the wings are arranged in a special way, reflecting the sun's rays, which gives the impression that the butterfly is all glowing.
When the insect sits, it seems that the wings of its rich blue color with a black border. But in fact, this is not the true color of the butterfly, but a play of light. When the butterfly flies, it shimmers under the sun's rays in different colors, sometimes purple, sometimes greenish. Such an amazing blue Morpho butterfly.

Another name for this butterfly is the Morpho Peleida butterfly, in honor of the Greek hero, the son of Peleia and Thetis

Butterfly Peacock Eye

The Peacock Eye lives in Europe, as well as the subtropical zone of Eurasia. They are especially common in Germany. As you might guess, this type of butterfly received such a name due to its resemblance to the coloring of peacock feathers. The body of the butterfly is painted black. But the wings are painted orange-brown with characteristic blue colored spots. Miracle peacock butterfly!

Latin name This butterfly Inachis io comes from the names of King Inach and the daughter of Io - the heroes of ancient Greek mythology.

Sailboat Maaka

This butterfly is also called the Blue Swallowtail. In the male, most of the front wing is represented by green, even emerald pollination. Part of the wing shimmers in deep black. In females of the Maak Sailboat, the colors are more diverse, it is even considered that there are no two identical butterflies in the world. This is a contented large diurnal butterfly, the size of its wings can reach thirteen centimeters.

This is the largest diurnal butterfly found on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Butterfly Hypolymnas bolina

Hypolyminas bolina live in Southeast Asia, as well as Australia. These small butterflies are often called tiaras because of the bright blue, red and white hues of their wings, like diamonds in the crown shimmer.
If you look at the butterfly from above, its wings are black, lighter on the outer edge. Males have white spots on their wings, which, when hit on them, sun rays shimmering purple.

Butterfly Hypolimnas bolina is also called the moon butterfly.

How many days do butterflies live at home?

It is certainly very pleasant to receive butterflies as a gift. But I really want these wonderful creatures to please with their beauty for as long as possible! How many days do butterflies live at home? On average, life expectancy ranges from a few days to several weeks. This of course depends on the type of butterfly, but also on the conditions of their habitat. How to properly care for butterflies?

At night, butterflies are best placed in a box with holes made. And to maintain moisture at the bottom of the box, you can put a cotton swab dipped in water.

Comfortable temperature for the existence of butterflies +20 degrees.
Most butterflies love moisture, so it is necessary to spray the insect with a spray bottle several times a day. It is enough to make one or two pressing at a distance of 20-30 centimeters.
Butterflies can fly around the room, sit down where it suits them. But if you want to take it, take it by the body, at the base of the wings. Remember, these are very fragile creatures.
Butterflies feed on sugar syrup, crushed bananas or citrus fruits. It is enough to feed the butterfly once a day. To do this, gently take the insect by the body and plant it with your paws on the edge of the saucer with the prepared delicacy. When the butterfly feels the treat, it will straighten its proboscis and begin to eat.

Further

Live tropical butterflies - an unforgettable magical gift Buy live butterflies: 4 gift options A few recommendations for catching butterflies and keeping them at home Decorative butterflies as a gift - original idea to the celebration Top 10 most amazing butterflies in the world

Butterflies are like flying flowers, which in their beauty cannot be compared with any other insect on the planet. It is incredibly difficult to imagine how such a complex and unique beauty can be obtained from a vile caterpillar.

Butterflies were collected by many famous people such as Vladimir Nabokov, Ivan Pavlov, Mikhail Bulgakov, Nikolai Bukharin, Walter Rothschild. Vladimir Nabokov named 20 newly discovered species of butterflies. His collection consisted of 4324 thousand. Subsequently, he gave it to the Zoological Museum of the University of Lausanne.

Let's see the most beautiful butterflies of our planet together. This butterfly is a representative of the Saturniidae family (Peacock-eyes, or Saturnia):

The largest wingspan belongs to the Brazilian butterfly Agrippina - 30 cm.

The smallest wingspan met by researchers - at Acetozeia from England and Radiculosis from the Canary Islands - 2 mm. Queen Alexandra's ornithoptella is rare view butterflies that are in danger of extinction. The female of this butterfly is slightly larger than the male. (The life of these insects lasts no more than 3 months).

Maak's sailboat is the largest diurnal butterfly living in Russia. It is also called the tailed poppy and the blue swallowtail. The name of this species is associated with the naturalist Richard Karlovich, Maak, who for a long time studied Siberia and the Far East.