Development and structure of butterflies. Life cycle of butterflies

A butterfly is a bright and beautiful insect with large multi-colored wings that flutters all summer from flower to flower, helping with its pollination. But where does the butterfly live, where does it sleep, what does it eat, how does it spend winter months, - the answers to these questions will be of interest to every inquisitive person.

Butterfly world

Representatives of the order Lepidoptera, which includes butterflies according to the biological hierarchy, can be found on almost all continents and in any climate, except the coldest - Antarctica. They love to fly in flowering meadows in mid-latitudes and among the ice of Greenland, on the islands Pacific Ocean and in the highlands of the Himalayas.

Butterflies belong to the most numerous and ancient order, which has more than 158 thousand species. Lepidoptera are cold-blooded (ectothermic) insects that can regulate their own body temperature by taking heat from the outside or releasing it into the environment. Because of this, most of their species prefer to live in tropical climates.

A butterfly is called an insect with complete metamorphosis, i.e. its development goes through all stages: eggs, larvae or caterpillars to pupa and adult (imago). Also for most Lepidoptera characteristic feature body structure is the presence of a mouthparts with a proboscis through which they drink nectar. They also have a wide variety of wing shapes and sizes: from 2 mm to 28 cm.

Where the butterfly lives, what it eats and its lifespan most often depend on the climate zone: these insects prefer hot and humid natural climate, that is, the tropics. The greatest diversity of species lives in forests South America(40 thousand), in Southern and Southeast Asia(more than 10 thousand), where available ideal conditions by quantity sunny days, high humidity and the ability to camouflage among dense foliage.

Appearance of butterflies, where they live and what they eat

Among invertebrates, butterflies have the most complex structure body and the most beautiful appearance. The insect's body consists of an abdomen, chest, head with antennae and proboscis, 3 pairs of legs and two pairs of beautiful wings, which contain all the beauty of nature, various patterns and colors.

The butterfly has a total of 4 wings, each of which is covered with scales ranging from 100 thousand to 1 million in larger ones tropical species. They are: pigment (containing a bright coloring matter) and optical (reflecting and refracting light).

Butterflies feed exclusively on liquids that they can drink through their proboscis: flower nectar, tree sap, pollen, dung and rotting fruit. They can suck moisture from puddles or from leaves, and sometimes sit on a person in search of a drink, attracted by the smell of sweat, which contains salts and minerals necessary for their life.

Life expectancy also depends on where the butterfly lives, its type and size: smaller ones can live only a few days, and large insects living in the tropics can live up to several months. Representatives of middle latitudes live on average 3-4 weeks, and representatives of northern latitudes live up to 2 years.

Life cycle

Life cycle Lepidoptera begins with the laying of eggs by an adult insect directly on the leaves or branches of plants, where the butterfly (or rather its egg) lives in the first stage of its development, which lasts 8-15 days. The color, number and shape of eggs depend on the species; there can be up to 1 thousand eggs in total, most of which do not survive to adulthood. Species of butterflies living in temperate climate, usually lay eggs in late autumn or early winter, and they remain dormant until spring.

The next stage, caterpillars, also takes place on the plants on which they feed. According to their lifestyle, they are divided into those who openly crawl over leaves and branches in search of food, and those who hide under special covers made independently using silky threads and parts of leaves. Some caterpillars are bright in color, demonstrating their inedibility, while others disguise themselves as green parts of plants.

The duration of the life cycle depends on the temperature and climate where butterflies live in nature: in northern species, caterpillars can fall into hibernation(diapause) until next spring, and their development cycle can last up to 7-10 years.

The most stationary stage - the pupa - looks like a light-colored cylinder; as it matures, the color changes to that which is typical this species. Pupae can either attach to leaves or lie on the ground without feeding for a long time.

An adult butterfly (imago) crawls out of the pupa, pushing off the shell with its paws, and males are born earlier than females. After emerging from the shell, its wings gradually straighten and harden, and a characteristic coloring also appears.

Where do butterflies spend the winter?

Most butterfly species live only through the summer, laying eggs for the next generation to emerge, and then the insects die. But among them there are also long-livers.

Where do butterflies live in winter and how do they hide from the cold? The answer depends on the species of Lepidoptera. Thus, some butterflies living in Russia (urticaria, lemongrass, burdock) hibernate for the winter, climbing into crevices or hollows of trees and wrapping themselves in their wings. Many climb closer to warm human habitation and fall asleep there.

But there are also migrant butterflies, which, like birds, gather in flocks numbering up to 1 million individuals, and fly to warm temperatures in the fall. southern countries, sometimes located 1000 km from their homeland. Scientists have been struggling with the mystery of how these creatures find their way for decades. After all, having a more primitive nervous system, they are not able to navigate by the sun.

Origin of the word "butterfly" Orthodox countries originates from the words “old woman” or “grandmother”, because Since ancient times, people have represented these insects as the souls of dead people. This belief still exists to this day in villages and villages in the Russian outback.

The most big butterfly- the South American tropical cutworm or tizania Agrippina, its wingspan is 28 cm, in Russia - the Maak's swallowtail (up to 13.5 cm). The smallest is the baby moth, living on Canary Islands, its dimensions barely reach 2-4 mm.

A butterfly, flying from flower to flower, can cover up to 10 km in 1 hour, thus moving to the place where it will lay eggs.

One of the most amazing butterflies- Greta amazes with her transparent wings, through which the entire surrounding world is visible.

The most beautiful insects

These amazing creatures, no matter where the butterflies live - in tropical forests or in the clearing in temperate latitudes, in the mountains or in the hot African desert, constantly fly between plants and flowers, collecting nectar and delighting people with their original beauty.

Butterflies are lepidoptera, belonging to insects that have a full cycle of transformation. Their distinctive feature from other representatives of the order - the presence of chitinous scales on the hind and fore wings. These elements have the finest optical components, which, when interacting with ultraviolet light, make it possible to see such color scheme, which the human eye cannot perceive.

To find out how a butterfly develops, you first need to understand what the cycle with complete transformation includes. This process contains the following stages:

• egg stage;
• caterpillar (larval) stage;
• pupal stage;
• stage of an adult insect (imago).

Just as butterflies develop, other representatives of lepidoptera - moths and moths - also turn into adults.

Butterfly mating

So, to understand how a butterfly develops, you need to start with the main stage of the life cycle - mating. Important factors in reproduction are the shape of the wings and their color, as well as courtship options - dancing and mating flights. Males can detect a female more than one kilometer away. Pheromones, as well as odorous scales located on the legs or wings, allow partners to find each other.

Mating of these insects occurs on plants or on the ground for from 20-25 minutes to several hours. All this time the individuals are motionless. By mating, the female gets the opportunity to receive sperm, microelements and proteins from the male. It is the last two components that play a large role in the formation and laying of eggs. In some species of butterflies, after mating, females develop an appendage of chitin on their abdomen, which is formed by the male at the end of the process. It is necessary in order to exclude the possibility of repeated fertilization with another male.

Egg stage

The first thing in a butterfly is an egg. In butterflies they have a varied shape and a fairly hard shell. They are angular, round, spherical. Their outer surface is embossed with symmetrical tubercles and depressions. The color scheme ranges from white to green, and sometimes there is a colored pattern on the outer surface.

Typically, females can lay more than 1,000 eggs in one clutch. Depending on the species of these insects, they can leave them either in a group of up to 10 pieces, or individually. The egg stage lasts from 8 to 15 days.

Caterpillar stage

The butterfly larva is a worm-like caterpillar. She has a pronounced gnawing oral apparatus. The caterpillar has a special secretion that hardens in air and forms a silk thread. The larvae are mainly phytophagous, that is, their food is flowers, leaves and fruits of plants.

There are also types of caterpillars that eat the larvae of ants, aphids and scale insects. These species are predators. On the body of the caterpillar there are 10 abdominal segments with five pairs of thick legs and 3 thoracic segments with three pairs of jointed legs. The body has smooth skin with spikes, warts and hairs. Caterpillars usually live on the ground, trees, and bushes, but some of them, such as broad-winged moths, can live underwater. They can be divided into two large groups:

• caterpillars prone to a free lifestyle;
• caterpillars prone to a hidden lifestyle.

The latter construct portable cases from silky thread in which they live. They carry it on themselves and hide in it. Also, caterpillars build themselves a cigar-shaped cover from leaves in the form of a shelter, having previously secured it with silk thread. The development cycle of a butterfly at this stage can last several years. Caterpillars in northern latitudes may enter a state of diapause until next summer. For example, the life cycle of the larvae of the seaweed, which lives in Greenland, can last up to 14 years.

Pupa stage

Butterflies have sedentary pupae. The main type characteristic of Lepidoptera is glued. In some families, such as cocoon moths, the pupa lives inside a cocoon that was woven by a caterpillar. The shape is cylindrical, sometimes round. - from light colors to dark ones with the presence of stripes and inclusions. Usually the pupa is located inside glued leaves on the trunks and flowers of plants with the rudiments of the abdomen, wings, legs and proboscis already clearly visible. At this stage of development there is no nutrition.

insect stage

The adult, fully formed insect emerging from the pupa is called an “imago.” At this stage of butterfly development, the magical metamorphosis ends. The pupa acquires an oily-transparent shell approximately a day before the insect emerges from it. Then the imago crawls out, tearing the hard covers. Generally, females come out later than males. When they harden, straighten out, and the final color appears on them, then the insect will take off. The imago has puberty and can reproduce. This sequence of butterfly development allows it to respond to changes occurring in nature. For example, for improvement or deterioration climatic conditions, amount of precipitation, temperature regime.

So, having figured out how a butterfly develops, we have solved another mystery in nature - how the magical transformation from an unsightly green caterpillar into a beautiful flying insect actually became possible.

How a caterpillar turns into a butterfly is of interest to almost everyone. No less intriguing question whether all caterpillars turn into butterflies. There are 156 species in the order Lepidoptera. The history of their appearance goes back to the era Jurassic period, still fluttered over the dinosaurs, and the process of their transformation did not change at all.

Where do caterpillars come from: the life cycle of butterflies

The female lays eggs after fertilization. Under favorable conditions, a larva develops inside. The process takes from 2 to 14 days. Upon completion, they gnaw through the rim of the eggs and crawl out. This is how the caterpillar appears.

The size of the first stage larvae is about 1 mm. They are born with a huge appetite and grow quickly. As they grow older, they undergo an average of 4 molts, but there are species that are reborn up to 16 times. The duration of this cycle depends on the type of insect and habitat. In our area, females manage to give birth to two generations; the larva develops in about 6 weeks.

Caterpillars live under the bark of trees, in cereals, grains, under leaves various plants. They feed on juices and gain strength. At the imago stage, the moth lives from several days to 20 days. During this time, it either does not eat anything or feeds on plant nectar, juices of berries, and fruits.

Interesting!

IN northern latitudes The larva does not have time to go through the full development cycle in one summer; it remains to winter in this form and continues to develop with the onset of warm weather. Northern species able to withstand frost below -70 degrees Celsius. In Greenland and Canada, the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly lasts 7-14 years.

Finally, the larva forms a cocoon from independently produced threads and turns into a pupa. It clings to the tree and leaves with its paws and freezes. It's about to begin mysterious phenomenon- transformation into a moth.

Conversion process

How long it takes for a caterpillar to turn into a butterfly while in a cocoon depends on climatic conditions and the type of insect. From a few days to 14 years. Moths in our area appear on average after 15 days.

What is the name of the process of transformation of a caterpillar - metamorphosis. More precisely, holometamorphosis, since some parts of the larva remain. In this case - paws. Experts understand this term as a complete degeneration of forms. Just like melting plastic bottle, then make a glass.

In a cocoon that appears completely motionless, complex processes take place inside. The body splits and turns into a liquid mass with imaginal discs. To make it clearer, these are similar to stem cells, and any organs or tissues can be formed from them.

Upon completion of the process of transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly, the formed insect secretes a special secretion, which allows the walls of the cocoon to be split. Initially the head is shown, then the body, legs. The newborn insect sits motionless for several minutes, waiting for its wings to dry. Then he straightens them and begins to search for the opposite sex for mating.

Amazing creatures

Not always similar, the color does not at all match the coloring of the future moth. Some larvae have similar features - spots, streaks of identical color. Only specialists and obvious fans of these insects can determine from which caterpillars and which butterflies emerge.

Butterfly caterpillars, photos and names are presented below.

• One of the most beautiful butterflies in our area is. The larva of this beauty is black in color with spines all over its body. The change in appearance is dramatic.
• Other .
• Amazing creation bromea. The caterpillar looks like a stick, and the butterfly has a very interesting woody color
• Green caterpillar with multi-colored pimples - cecropia.
• Black dovetail It has a simply irresistible color in green and blue tones. But there are also yellow dots on the caterpillar’s ​​body.
• Dalcerida. It is not clear from the outside whether the larva will produce an insect or an animal. Appearance The moth is no less unusual.
• The blue morpho is another creature that captivates with its appearance.

People never cease to admire some types of butterflies; they keep them in the house, creating for them favorable conditions life.

• In this article we will look at reproduction and stages of butterfly development. Butterflies reproduce sexually, which means that the male must fertilize the female before laying eggs.
• When, some differences are clearly visible between them: among some species, females are larger than males, and they also differ in the colors of their wings (some sharply, and some not so much).

• Male lemongrass butterfly

  Male lemongrass butterfly
• Everyone knows the lemongrass butterfly, and if you watch it carefully, you can easily distinguish who is male and who is female.
• Males are bright yellow, like ripe lemons, while females are paler in color, with a greenish tint. If the female sits with her wings folded, she can be confused with a young green leaf.
• It was not in vain that nature tried and took care of butterflies - it is much more important for the female to be invisible, because in case of danger, the male can flutter and fly away, and she needs a guarantee of safety when eggs are laid.

• Female lemongrass butterfly

  Female lemongrass butterfly
• This is why in many butterflies the males are much brighter and more elegant than the females.
• Butterflies are insects with complete metamorphosis, which means that their life is divided into several stages, and each butterfly development stage has features unique to her.
• After mating, the female must lay eggs on the plant whose leaves the hatched caterpillars will feed on.
• Butterfly eggs are very small (less than 1 mm in diameter), covered with a dense shell and always of the correct geometric shape: round, elongated, faceted, etc.
• The egg hatches into a caterpillar - this is the next stage of butterfly development.

• Caterpillar

  
  Caterpillar
• She has no wings and looks nothing like an adult butterfly. The caterpillar has long body, gnawing mouthparts, thoracic and abdominal legs and simple small eyes; There are small and large, bright and not, smooth and fluffy, covered with hairs or bristles. Caterpillars have special glands that are located near the mouthparts. This is an arachnoid gland that secretes an adhesive thread, often strong (from the arachnoid thread silkworm get silk). The caterpillar development stage of butterflies lasts several months. At this time, they actively feed and grow.

• Doll

  Doll
• Having reached the required age, the caterpillars pupate and turn into pupae - this is the next stage of butterfly development. The pupae are motionless or inactive, are always in a secluded place, and their color never stands out against the background environment. At this stage of butterfly development, a future adult is formed inside the pupae.
• The pupae have special devices for attaching to leaves or twigs, and are sometimes found in special cocoons that the caterpillar weaves before pupating.
• In order for the butterfly to begin hatching, the pupa must reach a certain temperature. Then a butterfly emerges from the pupa: the shell bursts, the edges separate and the butterfly begins to free itself from “captivity.” The new inhabitant of the planet bears very little resemblance to the future beauty, because her wings are wet and very wrinkled. To dry quickly, the butterfly must be born dry, warm weather- then it will acquire its characteristic and colorful appearance and fly away.
• About the most beautiful butterflies our planet you can find out.
• 
• For a long time Scientists could not understand that a butterfly and a caterpillar are one insect. In the old days, insects were divided into winged and wingless, so caterpillars and butterflies fell into different groups. It was only in the 17th century that it was proven that caterpillars are a stage of butterfly development.
• The fact that caterpillars turn into pupae was already known by that time.
• We have considered everything butterfly development stages and now we know that living, beautiful, fluttering flowers do not appear quite as easily as we would like.
• And in conclusion, I suggest watching a short film about how a caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly.

Caterpillar

The caterpillar crawling out of the egg is an important link in the life cycle of the butterfly. It is at this stage that growth and accumulation occurs nutrients for the entire life of the insect. Caterpillar for short time capable of absorbing huge amounts of food. As soon as it is born, it begins to feed - it eats the shell of the egg, then takes on the leaves of the plant on which it sits.

The caterpillar is very picky. If she did not happen to find herself on the right plant, then she will not immediately get used to another species - she will starve, rejecting food. Typically, a butterfly lays eggs on a specific plant, and the hatched caterpillars immediately begin to eat. They absorb large number food in a short time, so they grow quickly. As the caterpillar grows, it molts and sheds its skin. And so on several times. This is due to the fact that the skin of caterpillars is inelastic. After " hearty lunch“The abdomen enlarges, and the caterpillar becomes “cramped” in “old clothes.” It is necessary to change it, and it sheds.

The caterpillar looks for a secluded place and attaches its abdomen to the plant with a silk thread. The skin on the front cracks, and finally, the caterpillar crawls out of the old cover in a ready-made, more spacious “new outfit”. When the skin dries out, you can start eating again. In two to three weeks, the caterpillar gains weight well, sometimes several thousand times.

However, not all caterpillars grow so quickly. For example, the caterpillars of the odorous woodworm develop within three years, and sometimes longer. They feed on wood, gnawing holes in tree trunks. Grinding and digesting such solid food requires more time than feeding on the leaves of herbaceous plants.

Most caterpillars molt 4-5 times. After the last moult, the caterpillar turns into a pupa. To do this, she secretes a silk drink and attaches it to the plant, and then hangs on it in the air, hooking her hind legs. Other caterpillars, such as tailed caterpillars, are girded along the middle of the body and attached to the plant itself. After this, the caterpillar pupates.

Doll

During the pupal stage, continuous changes (metamorphosis) occur. The caterpillar gradually turns into a butterfly, which is no longer concerned about food, but about producing offspring. In the life cycle of insects, the pupa is the most vulnerable stage. In case of danger, she cannot hide, because she has neither legs nor wings. This is why the most important thing for pupation is to find a safe place.
The pupae that are attached to plants are almost indistinguishable in color and shape from leaves and twigs.

Many caterpillars, such as the peacock eye, spin cocoons. The caterpillar wraps itself many times with a silk thread several kilometers long, while the rows of threads stick together and form a cover - a cocoon. Only in the cocoon does the caterpillar turn into a pupa. The pupal stage sometimes lasts several days, and sometimes lasts three years, depending on the species of butterfly and external conditions: temperature and humidity.

The appearance of a butterfly

Once the metamorphosis is complete, the shell of the pupa bursts and a butterfly emerges. At first, her wings are small, as if curled. But they are elastic. Having been born, the butterfly looks for a suitable place where it can freely spread its wings.

Clinging to the empty shell of the pupa or to a branch, it flutters its wings. The wings straighten and finally reach the desired size. The butterfly then dries them for several hours. The wings lose elasticity and become stronger. Now they have gained strength and lightness, and you can make your first flight. Most butterflies emerge from their pupae in the early morning, when it is not yet hot and the air is humid with dew. Straightening and then drying your wings at such a time is much better than at noon when the sun is scorching.

As soon as the butterfly becomes capable of flight, it rushes in search of a partner. After mating, the female lays eggs and the life cycle repeats from the beginning.