NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/946863
MARCH 2018 • NEBRASKAland 21 M oths and butterflies belong to the order of insects known as Lepidoptera. With about 180,000 known species worldwide, it is the fourth largest insect order. Roughly 10 percent of Lepidoptera are butterflies and the remainder are moths. A key characteristic distinguishing Lepidoptera from other insect orders are the scales, which are actually modified, flattened hairs that cover their bodies and wings (lepido means scale and ptera means wings). The dust-like scales form the dazzling variety of patterns and colors found among species. They also leave the smudge of color on your fingers when you touch a moth or butterfly. Also characteristic of Lepidoptera is the coiled proboscis under their heads which, when uncoiled, functions as a straw to draw nectar from flowers. Except for one primitive group of moths, adult moths and butterflies lack chewing mouth parts. Having occupied the Earth for at least 190 million years, Lepidoptera have evolved into a variety of forms. "The popular division of Lepidoptera into the familiar butterflies on the one hand and the moths on the other [is an] artificial classification, with butterflies … making up a small, easily recognized group of brightly colored, day- flying insects with clubbed antennae. Moths, then, are simply all Lepidoptera other than butterflies," wrote Stephen A. Marshall in his fascinating book, Insects – Their Natural History and Diversity. The moths include a variety of sub-groups, some fairly distantly related, with an array of forms and habits (see sidebar on pages 24-25). Several characteristics distinguish moths from butterflies. While butterflies have slender antennae with clubbed-shaped ends, moth antennae vary in shape from comb-like or feathery to slender, but always un-clubbed. Moths also generally have stout and hairy bodies and perch with their wings spread, whereas butterflies have more slender, smoother bodies and when perched many fold their wings above their backs. While butterflies are day flyers, moths generally fly at dusk, night or dawn, though a few are day flyers. With their great abundance and diversity in native ecosystems, moths and butterflies perform a vital role as pollinators and are a critical food source for other species. Although some Lepidoptera species, especially moth caterpillars such as cornborers, bollworms and gypsy moths, are crop or forest pests, the benefits most provide to humans and the health of our planet far outweigh the negatives. In Nebraska, the primary threats to moths and butterflies are the loss of native habitats, pesticides and climate change. ■ Now fairly uncommon in Nebraska, the cecropia moth inhabits our eastern woodlands. Belonging to the giant silkworm moth family, the wing-span of adult females can reach six inches. Unlike moths, butterflies have slender antennae with club-shaped ends. This painted lady butterfly is using its proboscis to draw nectar from a flower. Similar to all moth caterpillars, the salt marsh moth caterpillar has chewing mouth parts which it uses to feed on the foliage of a variety of plants, including apples, cabbage and potatoes. h d b fli b l h d f i f Lepidoptera Natural History PHOTO BY ERIC FOWLER PHOTO BY CHRIS HELZER PHOTO BY CHRIS HELZER