Butterflies are a type of holometabolous insects, that is, their type of characteristic development goes from the embryo, going through larva, pupa and finally adult, has more than 165 thousand species that are divided into 127 families.
Butterfly Life Cycle
The First Stage: The Egg
A butterfly begins its life as a small, round, oval or cylindrical egg. The shape of the egg depends on the type of butterfly that laid the egg. The butterfly eggs are usually placed on the leaves of the plants,
The Second Stage: The Larva (Caterpillar)
When the egg hatches, the butterfly larva appears which we call caterpillars. The caterpillar will begin its development and will eat the leaf on which it was born. Each type of caterpillar eats some types of leaves and it is there that the mother places the egg, since when the caterpillar is small it cannot be moved to another plant
The Third Stage: Pupa (chrysalis)
When the caterpillar grows and reach a certain size and weight, they become a pupa, also called chrysalis, Pupa seems to have no life. there the caterpillar undergoes a metamorphosis one of the most amazing transformations becoming a butterfly
The Fourth Stage: Adult Butterfly
After leaving the pupa and having rested, the butterfly pump blood to its wings and fly. When the butterfly is near the final stage of its life they seek to reproduce constantly, laying eggs and starting a new life cycle
Characteristics
Adult butterflies have antennae, eyes, three pairs of legs and an exoskeleton. Its body is divided into head, thorax and abdomen; This is covered by small sensory hairs and its membranous wings, of scales. All the muscles that control the wings and legs are concentrated in the thorax. Butterflies use their wings to regulate body temperature, courtship in mating and signaling seasons. A most remarkable characteristic of the butterflies are the scales, scales of colors, these are formed on each other creating the wonderful and elaborate drawings of the wings.
Food of the Butterfly
The majority of adult butterflies feed mainly by extracting the nectar of the flowers with an extendable mouth structure, which is flexible and very sensitive. Once the butterfly has finished feeding, the tongue retracts by twisting and fits exactly below the head of the insect. They can also feed on fungal spores.
Ecological Importance
They help pollination, transporting pollen from flowers to different plants. They are part of the trophic chain and are fundamental for many species of birds, bats and insectivorous mammals. For example, it has been estimated that the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) eats 50 billion caterpillars of moths every year.
Butterflies are excellent bioindicators of the state of health of the natural ecosystems they inhabit. Scientists use them as model organisms to study the impact of habitat loss, as well as current climate change.
Threats
The biggest threats to butterflies are habitat change and loss due to residential, commercial and agricultural development. In recent decades, the number of butterflies has decreased, on developed countries in agriculture and industry. Another significant factor in the reduction of the number of butterflies has been the annual burning of the old grass in spring, and with the grass they also destroy the eggs and pupae of butterflies.
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Source
http://www.bioenciclopedia.com/mariposa/
https://gemx15.wordpress.com/about/
http://www.asociacion-zerynthia.org/la_asociacion/por_que_las_mariposas_son_importantes.html
http://www.ecorumbo.com/ecotips/importancia-ecologica-de-las-mariposas/
https://askabiologist.asu.edu/complete-metamorphosis
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