Noble butterfly

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Noble butterfly
Peacock butterfly (Inachis io)

Peacock butterfly ( Inachis io )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Superordinate : New winged wing (Neoptera)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Subordination : Glossata
Superfamily : Papilionoidea
Family : Noble butterfly
Scientific name
Nymphalidae
Rafinesque , 1815

The noble butterflies ( Nymphalidae) are a family of the order of the butterflies (Lepidoptera). Some of the most colorful butterflies in Europe belong to this large family, comprising around 6000 species worldwide . Among these species are numerous well-known representatives of butterflies such as B. Peacock butterfly ( Inachis io ) and small fox ( Aglais urticae ) can be found.

features

Sensor detail with highly visible Carinae at the Peacock
Imperial coat ( Argynnis paphia ), male
Big fox ( Aglais polychloros )
Little fox ( Aglais urticae )
C-butterfly ( Polygonia c-album )
Eastern pied butterfly ( Melitaea britomartis )
Quail Wheat Butterfly ( Melitaea athalia )
Painted Lady ( Vanessa cardui )

The moths reach a wingspan of 40 to 100 millimeters. They have wide fore wings that are only 1.4 to 1.9 times longer than wide. Their basic wing colors are mostly: dark brown, orange brown, yellow brown, yellow, red, blue, violet or black; the individual subfamilies differ from one another in their coloring, however. So have z. B. especially the ospreys (Satyrinae) eye spots on the wings and the Palearctic representatives of the Heliconiinae can be recognized by the mother-of-pearl spots on the underside of their wings ( mother-of-pearl ). The piebald butterflies (Melitaeini) have a characteristic black and orange pattern. All noble butterflies have common features that distinguish them from all other butterfly families (synapomorphies): They have elongated grooves ( carinae ) running along the underside over all segments of the antennae , between which there are two continuous depressions or shallow hollows. In addition, her first pair of legs is stunted ("cleaning paws"). This is more pronounced in the males, which is why in some species the sexes can be distinguished in this way. With these stumps they can only clean themselves, they only sit on four legs.

Your antennae are about half as long as the fore wing length and are club-shaped at the end. Besides their compound eyes, the moths have no point eyes ( ocelli ). They have reduced, one-unit jaw palps ( maxillary palps ) and their three-segment lip palps ( labial palps ) are directed upwards. The non-scaled proboscis is fully developed.

Their forewings have twelve wing veins and only one anal vein (1b). The hind wings have nine veins and two anal veins (1a and 1b). You are missing core 1c.

Characteristics of the caterpillars

The caterpillars usually have numerous thorns, which can also be branched. But there are also species whose caterpillars have long hair. Some species live gregariously in groups on the forage plants.

Way of life

The caterpillars feed on different plant families, such as B. of violet plants (Violaceae), nettle plants (Urticaceae), elm plants (Ulmaceae), willow plants (Salicaceae), hemp plants (Cannabaceae), honeysuckle plants (Caprifoliaceae) and others. The caterpillars of Julia Butterfly eat preferably fresh (Poaceae) and sour grasses (Cyperaceae).

development

The eggs of the noble butterfly are spherical and are either grooved or have a reticulate structure. Pupation takes place as falling pupae , which often have bumps and in many species have shiny metallic spots.

Systematics

Many subfamilies, namely the ophthalmic butterflies (Satyrinae), the Morphinae, the Libytheinae, the Danainae and others were classified as separate families in the older literature (and some entomologists still use them today). Lately the view seems to gain acceptance to classify them as subfamilies of the Monophylum Nymphalidae. According to this, the family is divided into up to twelve subfamilies, seven of which with 115 species occur in the German-speaking area (D, CH, A). In all of Europe they occur with 244 species and subspecies. The focus of their biodiversity is in the tropics of South America .

Central European species

Subfamily Libytheinae ( Schnauzenfalter )

  • Hackberry butterfly , Libythea celtis ( Laicharting , 1782) CH-A

Subfamily Heliconiinae (passion flower butterfly)

Tribus Argynnini ( mother-of-pearl butterfly )

Subfamily Nymphalinae ( spotted butterfly )

Tribe Nymphalini
Admiral ( Vanessa atalanta )
Little meadow bird ( Coenonympha pamphilus )

Tribus melitaeini ( piebald butterfly )

Subfamily Limenitidinae ( Kingfishers )

Great Kingfisher ( Limenitis populi )
Little Schiller Butterfly (
Apatura ilia )
Forest board game ( Pararge aegeria )
Graubindiger Mohrenfalter ( Erebia aethiops )
Chess board ( Melanargia galathea )
Great ox-eye ( Maniola jurtina )
Wall fox ( Lasiommata megera ), female
Monarch ( Danaus plexippus )
Tribe Limenitidini
Tribe Neptini

Subfamily Apaturinae ( Schiller butterfly )

Subfamily Satyrinae ( Augenfalter )

Tribe Elymniini
Tribe Coenonymphini
Tribe Maniolini
Tribe Erebiini
Melanargiini tribe
  • Chessboard , Melanargia galathea ( Linnaeus , 1758) D-CH-A
Tribe Satyrini

Subfamilies, tribes and species not found in Central Europe (selection)

swell

Individual evidence

  1. Nymphalidae. Lepiforum eV, accessed on February 21, 2007 .
  2. Nymphalidae. Fauna Europaea, accessed February 21, 2007 .

Web links

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