lepidopterans
Moths and butterflies
Lepidopterans are butterflies and moths—insects of the order Lepidoptera, characterized by scaled wings and a metamorphic life cycle from caterpillar to winged adult.
The term appears mainly in scientific or naturalist contexts: Lepidopterans are essential pollinators in this ecosystem.
Someone who studies or collects them is a lepidopterist.
Showing shifting spectral colors
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
- eyespotsSimple light-detecting organs
- camouflageConcealment through visual blending
- mimicryAdaptive resemblance to another
cryptic · disruptive · pattern · markings · veins · hindwing · forewing · tails
Sensory appendages on insects
- proboscisElongated animal head appendage
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
- wingspanTip-to-tip extent
- thoraxCentral body cavity
abdomen · forewings · hindwings · eyespots · spiracles · veins · frenulum · palps
Pupal casing for metamorphosis
- pupaInsect's resting stage
- caterpillarMoth or butterfly young
- larvaImmature feeding stage
- instarArthropod developmental stage
molting · cocoon · imago · emergence · pupation · egg · life-cycle · transformation
Pale green saturnid
- sphinxMysterious, unreadable person
- atlasBound collection of charts
- silkwormMoth larva yielding fiber
- hawkmothLarge hovering lepidopteran
emperor · tussock · plume · peppered · death's-head · underwing · prominent · bagworm
Hereditary supreme ruler
- swallowtailButterfly with forked hindwings
- admiralSenior naval commander
- fritillaryCheckered-wing lepidopteran
- peacockOrnate pheasant relative
tortoiseshell · buckeye · hairstreak · sulphur · skipper · birdwing · viceroy · comma
Flower reproductive transfer
- nectarFloral sugar water
- migrationMovement to new territory
- roostingSettling to sleep aloft
- baskingWarming oneself pleasantly
puddling · thermoregulation · predation · coevolution · mutualism · herbivory · defoliation · conservation
Inchworm moth family
- entomologyStudy of insects
- taxonomyScience of categorical arrangement
- specimenIndividual for examination
- collectionGathered set of items
iridescent
Showing shifting spectral colors
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
- eyespotsSimple light-detecting organs
- camouflageConcealment through visual blending
mimicry · cryptic · disruptive · pattern · markings · veins · hindwing · forewing · tails · bands
antennae
Sensory appendages on insects
thorax · abdomen · forewings · hindwings · eyespots · spiracles · veins · frenulum · palps · tarsi
chrysalis
Pupal casing for metamorphosis
- pupaInsect's resting stage
- caterpillarMoth or butterfly young
- larvaImmature feeding stage
instar · molting · cocoon · imago · emergence · pupation · egg · life-cycle · transformation · diapause
luna
Pale green saturnid
hawkmoth · emperor · tussock · plume · peppered · death's-head · underwing · prominent · bagworm · webworm
monarch
Hereditary supreme ruler
- swallowtailButterfly with forked hindwings
- admiralSenior naval commander
- fritillaryCheckered-wing lepidopteran
peacock · tortoiseshell · buckeye · hairstreak · sulphur · skipper · birdwing · viceroy · comma · ringlet
pollination
Flower reproductive transfer
basking · puddling · thermoregulation · predation · coevolution · mutualism · herbivory · defoliation · conservation · endangered
Geometridae
Inchworm moth family
- entomologyStudy of insects
- taxonomyScience of categorical arrangement
- specimenIndividual for examination
collection · pinning · voucher
lepidopteransbeetles
Hard-winged insects
flies · ants · bees · wasps · cockroaches
lepidopteranscockroaches
Hardy household insect pests
maggots · flies · dung beetles · carrion beetles · ticks