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Butterflies and moths - Lepidoptera

Butterflies and moths are a group of insects known as lepidopterans, which means 'scaly wings'. It is these overlapping scales that give them their spectacular colours and patterns. Within the Sydney region, there are several hundred species of lepidopterans and about 100 of these are butterflies.

Butterflies and moths differ in a number of ways, although there are always exceptions to the rules. The main differences include:

• Butterflies are active during the day; moths are active at night.
• Butterflies have knobs at the end of their antennae; moths have antennae without knobs at the end.
• Butterflies are usually brightly coloured; moths are usually dull.
• Butterflies rest with their wings held vertically; moths rest with their wings flat.

Like all insects, butterflies and moths go through metamorphosis (that is, they look different at different stages of their life cycle). During the caterpillar stage they spend their time feeding mostly on plants, to the annoyance of some gardeners. Adult moths and butterflies spend their short lives searching for a mate and feeding on nectar from flowers. They have no jaws, but feed via a tube-like tongue, known as a proboscis. Some adults don't even feed at all and rely on the energy they consumed as caterpillars.

In general, moths are named according to the habits of their caterpillars, whereas butterflies are named after the characteristics of the adults.

See also within this site:
Overview of insects