animalia kingdom
Arthropod phylum
Insecta Class
Lepidoptera order
Butterflies are animals belonging to the Order Lepidoptera, divided into six families: Hesperiidae, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae, Riodinidae and Lycaenidae. They can also be classified as members of the Rhopalocera group, differentiating them from moths, which comprise the rest of the Lepidoptera, Heterocera group. However, it is worth remembering that, despite being widely considered in academia, such groups have no taxonomic value.
Soft-bodied, with diverse sensory structures, and covered in pigmented scales, these winged creatures have mouthparts adapted to suck the nectar from flowers, helping, in this act, to the pollination of such structures reproductive systems. Showy flowers, with a strong and sweet odor, are the most attractive to them.
Butterflies are diurnal; and go through well-defined stages, until they become adults, when they are able to reproduce and complete their life cycle. They are: egg, larva, pupa, imago and adult. During the larval period, they are also called caterpillars; and pupae, chrysalis.
At most of these stages, butterflies can show colorations that, ecologically speaking, become very important: warning coloring (or aposematism): strong colors, usually in red, yellow, orange and/or black tones, announcing to a future predator that they possibly have poison or bad taste; mimetic colors: the individual appears similar to another animal, potentially dangerous or unpalatable; and cryptic coloration: color similar to the environment, allowing its camouflage. Caterpillars can also have hairs that cause irritation in the predator's body, when touching them, and also structures that eliminate toxic odors.
Due to such peculiarities, their interactions in food webs, and also because they are very sensitive to environmental changes, butterflies are animals of great scientific interest. In many cases, its presence or absence, in specific places, can indicate the environmental quality, being such parameter a viable argument to establish conservation strategies in that area.
By Mariana Araguaia
Biologist and specialist in Environmental Education