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Zoology Project On Butterfly ?
Zoology Project On Butterfly ?
This is to clarify that Asisha Dehury has carried out a research work
entitled “Life Cycle Of Butterflies” for fulfilment of zoology project
work, 2021. The study was conducted under my supervision. I further
certify that project work has been submitted to the other university for
the award of any other degree or diploma.
Declaration
I do here by declare that the project work entitled “Life Cycle Of
Butterflies” Presented for the fulfilment of +3 final year DSE-4 paper
exam of 6 semester, 2022 has been carried out by me and has not been
previously submitted to any other university, college or organization for
academic qualification on certificate or any degree.
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I do here by warrant that the work, I have presented does not match
to any existing copy right acts.
Asisha Dehury
+3 final year, science
ROLL NO: - TK2023182
A.M.C.S. College, Tikabali
Acknowledgement
I would like to gratefully acknowledge the following people and
organization or their assistance and advice that have made the project
successful. I am grateful to Honrable
Mr. Birupakshya Mishra Lect. in zoology for giving me permission to
pursue this study. I am especially thankful to my friend Smrutirekha
Deepa for this guidance and cooperation during my project work. They
have encouraged me during my project work. A special word of thanks to
him, for all light moments and very memorable times of being together. I
also thankful to all my department student who has helping me to
complete my work. Finally express my deep sense of gratitude and
devotion to my parents and family members who have support and
motivate me in all adversities and good times and respect my choice to
pursue my interest.
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Asisha Dehury
Introduction
It is estimated that eighty percent of all animal species are
insects. There are approximately 800,000 species of insects,
180,000 of which are Lepidoptera (Arnett & Jacques, 1981). In
this paper I hope to describe the attributes of butterflies and
moths which make them unique from other insects. In doing so
I will explain their evolutionary history, physical attributes,
stages of development and metamorphosis, unique survival
mechanisms, and colonization and migration habits.
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wings surfaces of butterflies
Evolutionary History
Butterflies and moths, like all insects, are members of the
phylum Arthropoda. Arthropods, which are believed to have
evolved from an annelid (earthworm) type ancestor are divided
into the three major branches; the chelicerates (spiders, ticks,
scor pions, etc.), the crustaceans (crabs, lobster, crayfish) and
the mandibulates (the Onychophora, centipedes, millipedes,
and insects). All members of the phylum arthropoda are similar
in that they exhibit the body segmentation of arthropods; head,
thorax and abdomen.
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Butterflies and moths, like other members of the class Insecta
possess three pairs of legs (one on each thoracic segment), one
pair of antennae, a pair of maxillae with a pair of sensory palpi,
a pair of mandibles, a hypopharynx (a tongue like structure), a
labium (a specialized pah" of head appendages behind the
maxillae) and two pair of wings (some insects have one or no
pair of wings).
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absorbing solar radiation to increase body temperature more
quickly.
Reproduction
Butterflies reproduce sexually, with the male contributing the
sperm, while the female contributes the egg.
That is, each sex cell contains half the number of chromosomes
of the body cells.
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Pair of mating Cecropia moths. The female
moth is on the upper left, identifiable
because females have a larger abdomen.
The Egg
Eggs are produced within the tubular ovaries of the female and
travel to the oviducts which join to form one duct through
which the eggs are deposited to the outside (oviposition).
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The female usually lays her eggs onor close to the larval
butterfly's food supply.
For example, the Monarch butterfly lays her eggs on the young,
tender leaves of the milkweed plant, while the Black
Swallowtail commonly deposits its eggs on garden parsley
plants, which the larvae quickly devour.
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The eggs of the Cecropia moth are generally laid in small
clutches on the leaves of lilac, apple, cherry, boxelder, maple,
birch, willow, plum and elderberry trees.
The Larva
Young larva feed on their host plants until they reach full size.
Some caterpillars are carnivorous, eating aphids and related
insects (ie. the larvae of the North American Harvester
butterfly) or ant larvae and pupae (ie. the larvae of the
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hairstreak Harkenclenus thus and the blues Glaucopsyche
lygdamus and Celastrina argiolus pseudargiolus).
The thirteen segments of the larval body are divided into three
thoracic segments, each possessing a pair of jointed legs with a
terminal claw (for food manipulation and locomotion).
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And ten abdominal segments, five of which possess non-jointed
larval prologs with ventral crochets I hooks (for locomotion and
grasping).
Gas exchange does not occur through the exoskeleton, but via
abdominal and thoracic spiracles located along the sides of the
larva.
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The five larval instars of the Cecropia moth
MORPHOLOGY
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The body of an adult butterfly consists of head, thorax and
abdomen.
The basal (first) segment being short while second and third
segements vary in length, shape and scaling which an of
taxonomic value.
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Each leg consists of five segments, the coxa articulating with
the thorax; trochanter is a very small segment interposed
between the coxa and femur; tibia of medium length or long
and armed with one or two pairs of movable tibial spurs, may
be spiny or densely fringed with hair ; and lastly tarsus which is
five segmented.
The terminal or fifth segment ends in a pair of
claws beneath which is usually a small pad called the pulvillus.
Adjacent to each claw is a brush-like attachment known as the
paronychium.
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CLASSIFICATION OF BUTTERFLIES
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❖ Forelegs with tarsi perfect in both sexes
❖ Forelegs with tarsi imperfect and brush-like in one or both
Sexes……….. Nym phalidae
SUPERFAMILY PAPILIONOIDEA
FAMILY PAPILIONIDAE
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and 8 stalked, vein 2 arising before middle of cell, four veins
arising from the outer lower edge of the cell.
SUBFAMILY PARNASSINAE
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hairy in the male, in the female spaYsely hairy or with scarcely
any hairs; a horny pouch at the apex below (Parnassius).
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1.The butterfly starts life as an egg, laid by a female butterfly.
The egg is usually laid on the underside of a leaf, specifically the
food plant of the larva.
Idea leuconoe
Tree Nymph Butterfly
EGG
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Idea leuconoe
Tree Nymph
Butterfly
CATERPILLAR
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Idea leuconoe
Tree Nymph Butterfly
PUPA
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5. When the butterfly is ready to emerge, it breaks free from
its pupa. A newly hatched butterfly will be wet and small in
comparison to its finished state.
6. Once the butterfly is dry they are ready to fly. The primary
aim for a butterfly is to mate and therefore produce offspring.
Once the female has been mated she will then lay her eggs and
the process begins all over again!
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Idea leuconoe
Tree Nymph Butterfly BUTTERFLY
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There are four stages in the life cycle of the Painted Lady
Butterfly.
The Egg (3-5 days)
The caterpillar finds a safe place to rest. With a silk thread that
comes out of a hole just below its mouth (spinneret), the
caterpillar spins a silk pad to attach to. The caterpillar hangs
from this pad. Soon, the caterpillars’ skin splits open, from head
to abdomen, revealing a dull, brownish case underneath called
the chrysalis.
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What is happening in the chrysalis? Inside the chrysalis, the
larva is becoming completely liquid and reforming itself into a
butterfly. The butterfly pushes from inside until the case splits
open, and it slowly struggles out.
When the butterfly first emerges from the chrysalis, its wings
are soft and crumpled. The tired butterfly rests, and then slowly
unfolds its wings to dry.
After a few hours, the butterfly will be ready to fly. The Painted
Lady will live for approximately 2 weeks. During that time, its
main goal is to reproduce and lay eggs so the cycle can begin
again!
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A Caterpillar or Larva
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Abdomen—the third section includes the stomach, heart and
other organs
Antennae—on the butterfly’s head, used to taste the air and help
with balance
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Head—the head includes a brain, a proboscis, 2 antenna and 2
compound eyes
Butterfly Behaviour
Most insects have a very high protein content and are therefore
a staple diet item for many animals. During each life stage the
butterfly can adapt and defend themselves in many ways.
Egg
The life of a butterfly is a difficult one and the percentages of
butterflies who reach the adult stage is commonly around 3% In
the wild.
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The female butterfly has developed clever ways to improve the
chances of her offspring surviving to the adult stage. One of the
ways is to lay many eggs, the more eggs a female lay, the
higher the chance of survival. Some butterflies will lay an
individual egg on one leaf. This can be beneficial in two ways; if
a butterfly laid all her eggs on one leaf and that leaf became
damaged, she would lose all her offspring.
If she distributes her eggs, it is more likely some will survive,
and each caterpillar has their own leaf to eat. The female can
also choose to lay her eggs on the underside of a leaf in order
to hide the egg from predators and protect them from adverse
weather.
Caligo memnon
Owl Butterfly
EGG & CATERPILLAR
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Larva / Caterpillar
Greta oto
Glass wing Butterfly CATERPILLAR
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Papilio demodocus
Christmas Butterfly
CATERPILLAR Left-3rd instar Right-4th instar
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Smell - Some caterpillars smell horrible enough to put off even
the hungriest of birds. The blue morpho caterpillar lets off a
nasty odour when disturbed. Swallowtail caterpillars have a
special forked organ, osmeterium, that comes out of the back
of their necks when they are disturbed. The osmeterium smells
terrible and also has the appearance of a snakes tongue.
Papilio demodocus
Christmas Butterfly
CATERPILLAR
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them. These spines can also act as an irritant, designed to
distract predators.
Heliconius charitonius
Zebra Long Wing Butterfly CATERPILLAR
Bright colours - Most bright colours in nature are a warning of
something quite nasty. In the case of caterpillars, bright colours
often advertise bad taste or even poison.
Morpho peleides
Blue Morpho Butterfly
CATERPILLAR
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Anatomy – Some caterpillars will also try to make their back
end look the same as their front end. A predator will always try
and attack the head of an animal. If the predator gave a
caterpillar a nip on the wrong end, it may very well survive.
Idea leuconoe
Tree Nymph Butterfly
CATERPILLAR
Hermeroplanes triptolemus
Hawk Moth
CATERPILLAR
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Pupa
Morpho peleides
Blue Morpho Butterfly
PUPA
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Papilio Lowi
Great Yellow Mormon
Brown PUPA formed on
a twig Green PUPA
formed under a leaf
Idea leuconoe
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Tree Nymph Butterfly
PUPA
Tithorea harmonia
Harmonia Tiger Wing Butterfly
PUPA
Butterfly
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Kallima paralekta
Indian Leaf Butterfly
BUTTERFLY
Caligo memnon
Owl Butterfly
BUTTERFLY
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Butterfly & Caterpillar Anatomy
Butterfly Anatomy
Insects have three parts to their body and three pairs of legs.
This is an easy way of deciding if an animal is an insect.
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the juice from rotting fruits. They use their antennae to smell
their food and they taste through their feet!
Caterpillar Anatomy
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The head has ocelli, basic eyes which can sense light and
dark, and mouth parts to eat leaves.
The abdomen is the largest part of the body, there are four
pairs of prolegs which help the caterpillar when travelling.
Spiracles, tiny openings, can be found along the body which
help the caterpillar to breathe. A pair of claspers, at the end of
the body are used to help the caterpillar hold on when climbing
and pupating.
Metamorphosis
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Moths and Butterflies undergo a sudden transformation from
larva to adult. The caterpillar progresses through a series of
molts as it increases in size. This is because the caterpillar must
produce progressively larger exoskeletons and shed the old
ones, to accom modate growth.
The stages between the molts are called instars. Here, growth
of the larva is the major characteristic. After the last instar
stage, the larva undergoes a metamorphic molt to become a
pupa. The pupa does not feed, and its energy must come from
those foods ingested while a larva".
The Cecropia moth undergoes six molts in its life cycle. The
embryo develops into the first-instar larva and then molts to
become the second-instar larva. Subsequent molts separate the
second instar from the third instar, the third instar from the
fourth instar, the fourth instar from the fifth instar, and the fifth
instar from the pupa, and the pupa from the adult.
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control"(Douglas,1989). Stretch receptors or neural sensors
inform the brain when the exoskeleton has been stretched to
capacity. This and other physiological responses inform the
larva that it is ready to molt. Consequently, the brain hormone
"For a molt from a larva, the first pulse produces a small rise in
the hydroxyecdysone concentration in the larval haemolymph
and elicits a change in cellular commitment. The second, large
pulse of hydrox yecdysone initiates the differentiation events
associated with molting.
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The hydroxyecdysone produced by these pulses commits and
stimulates the epidermal cells to synthesize enzymes that
digest and recycle the components of the exskeleton.
During the last instar, the larva increases in size and gains much
weight. Just prior to pupation the caterpillar's color may change
as the larval exoskeleton forms under the skin. Caterpillars
often travel significant distances to locate a suitable site for
pupation.
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The Adult
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Thorax
The thorax, like the head and abdomen is mostly covered by
scales and fine hair. It is made up of the three segments: pro
thorax, mesothorax and metathorax. Each thoracic segment has
a pair of legs attached, while the wings attach to the
mesothorax and metathorax.
Abdomen
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The spermatophore is opened and sperm swim up the ductus
seminalis, and penetrate the micropyle (outer covering) of the
egg as it passes down the oviduct.
The small eggs of butterflies and moths are usually laid on the
underside of leaves, where they have less chance of being
noticed. Yet, the eggs of numerous species are parasitized by
wasps and other insects.
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The slow moving, soft bodied larvae on the other hand are
much more at risk for attack, and have consequently evolved a
variety of protective adaptations.
Some larvae spin webs of silk, and live in groups within them
(ie. The commonly seen Tent caterpillar). The skippers produce
a shelter of silk and leaves or grass to hide themselves. Many
larvae are camouflaged by their host food plant.
Migration
Many butterfly species disperse in what appears to be a
random manner, with their range of distribution varying from
year to year.
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The Monarch (Danus plexippus)and Painted Lady (Vanessa
cardui) occupy large expanses of the temperate zone during
summer, then environmental changesstimulate the fall brood
to migrate south.
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A few other migratory butterflies include: the Gulf Fritillary
(Agraulis vanillae) which migrates south in order to establish
breeding colonies, the Great SouthernWhite butterfly (Ascia
monuste) which can fly in an undulating cylindrical formation of
millions of individuals, and the noetropical pierid Kricogonia
castalia which fly in huge groups within a few feet of the
ground, and the Cloudless Sulfers which fly only a few inches
above water along Florida's northern coast.
Summary
The four developmental stages of the life cycle include the egg,
larva, pupa, andadult. The process by which the immature
butterfly is transformed from one stage to the next is called
metamorphosis, which is a gene regulated process.
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Use the script below to engage the students. Write their
answers to your questions on the board.
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and place. Weather is rain, snow, wind, hurricanes, heat waves,
etc. Climate is the big picture of weather. If an area like a desert
has weather that is extremely hot with very little rain each year,
it has a dry climate. If an area like a rainforest is warm and gets
lots of rain, it has a tropical climate.
We are seeing the average temperatures across the
entire planet get higher and higher each year at a faster rate
than we’ve ever seen before. The higher temperatures will
change the climate all over the world, making dry areas dryer
and wet areas wetter. We also expect climate change to cause
more extreme weather events by changing the timing,
frequency and duration of precipitation and unusual
temperatures. This will affect the plants, animals, and humans
living there.
Imagine you are a flower and you lived your whole life on a
snowy mountain. You would be used to living in a cold climate,
right? Now imagine that the climate of your home has changed
over time to be much, much hotter.
How would you like that? Do you think that might affect your
life as a flower? A hotter climate might mean less water
available because there is less rain or because more water will
evaporate out of the soil before the plants can use it.
Many humans, like us, are lucky enough to be able to cool off
by going in the shade, changing our clothes, drinking lots of
water, or going into an air conditioned room. But do you think a
flower can just pull out its roots and walk somewhere else? No.
Flowers and many other plants will struggle and have to adapt
to dryer conditions to survive.
Climate change can also change the life cycle of a plant all
together. If the Earth’s temperature is warming, flowers will
bloom earlier in the year. A lot of flowers bloom in the spring
time when there is less frost and warmer temperatures, but if
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the temperature is warmer earlier in the year the flowers will
not bloom at the right time.
Caterpillars eat the leaves from these plants. If the plants are
not growing as well due to less water, they will have less food
to eat.
There is less food for butterflies, by the time they arrive to feed
on nectar the flower will have already bloomed. As we can see,
climate change is a big factor that can impact plants and
insects.
Costal vein (costa) The wing vein that forms the anterior margin
of the butterfly wing.
Discal Cell The large cell in the central area of the wing.
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Ductus bursae The tube that empties into the corpus bursae.
Eclosion The hatching of the caterpillar from the egg and the
emergence of the adult from the chrysalis.
Fat bodies The storage sacs for fats, that are especially large in
diapausing and migratory butterflies.
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Immature Eggs, larvae or pupae, but usually referring to the
larvae.