Butterflies of the World - Lifecycle, Ecology, Taxonomy, Conservation, Photography, Butterfly Holidays, Photo Galleries, Book Reviews and more.........
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007, and must not be published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.
The butterfly lifecycle

The Lepidoptera ( butterflies, skippers and moths ), belong to a group of insects called Endopterygotes, all of which go through 4 distinct phases in their lifecycles :

Section 1 - EGG                ( ovum / ova )
Section 2 - CATERPILLAR   ( larva / larvae )
Section 3 - CHRYSALIS      ( pupa / pupae )
Section 4 - ADULT             ( imago ) 
 
 
Larva ( continued )
 
Armature
 
In some species the caterpillar body is naked, but other species may have thick coats of hair - correctly termed "setae". The hair makes it more difficult for an avian or reptilian predator to swallow a caterpillar, and has the added bonus of cushioning the caterpillar in the event of a fall. Another benefit of a thick coat of hair is that it makes it much more difficult for parasitoid wasps to inject their eggs into the caterpillar's body.
 
 
unidentified moth caterpillar, Peruvian Andes
 
Hair also functions to trap pockets of air around the body, allowing the caterpillar to survive if it has the misfortune to fall into a puddle. Experiments have shown for example that caterpillars of the Garden Tiger moth Arctia caja can survive periods of several days submerged in water.
 
larva of Drinker moth Euthrix potatoria ( Lasiocampidae ), England
 
In temperate species the hairs on larvae often have irritating properties. In the case of the Drinker moth Euthrix potatoria the hairs do little more than cause a mild itch. The hairs shed by the larva of the Brown-tail moth Euproctis chrysorrhoea are rather more troublesome and can cause a severe rash on human skin.
 
In the tropics the hairs often have far more dangerous properties - it is a little known fact that in the neotropics, more people die from handling hairy caterpillars, than from snake bites !
 
larva of an unidentified species of Flannel moth ( Megalopygidae ), Peru.
 
One of the most amazing caterpillars on Earth must surely be this species from French Guiana ( Limacodidae, species unknown ). It has enormous hairy limb-like extensions either side of each body segment, each of which looks like an individual hairy caterpillar !
Photo Copyright © Stéphane Brûlé, reproduced with permission.
 
unidentified moth caterpillar, ( Lymantridae ) Peruvian Andes
 
Larva of Yellow-tail moth Euproctis similis ( Lymantridae ) England

Hairs are not the only form of ornamentation - many caterpillars, including those of the Nymphalinae and Heliconiinae have impressive armature in the form of rows of sharp multi-branched spikes. Others, including wild silkmoths ( Saturniinae ) and the Birdwing and Cattleheart butterflies ( Triodini ), possess rows of colourful tubercles.
Privet Hawkmoth Sphinx ligustri ( Sphingidae ). Contrary to popular myth the horn does not "sting" although it's function is not known. The caterpillar is harmless, and edible to birds.

Hawkmoth caterpillars ( Sphingidae ) are adorned with a single sharp curved horn at the tail end, while Puss moth caterpillars Cerura vinula ( Notodontidae ) even have long retractable filaments which they use as whips to lash out at parasitoid wasps and flies !
Larva of Scarlet Tiger moth Callimorpha dominula ( Arctiidae )
 
Camouflage, disguise and warning coloration
 
All caterpillars suffer from very high predation by birds. Many species use camouflage to escape detection, and are thus often coloured green to match the leaves on which they rest. Others are brownish to match twigs, and some such as Thorn moth caterpillars take things a stage further, being twig shaped, with thorn-like projections.
 
Thorn moths are members of the family Geometridae. Their larvae lack the 8 prolegs found in most other families, and walk by gripping a twig with their 6 true legs, while looping up their bodies and pulling the rear section forward until the anal claspers lock onto the twig just behind the true legs. At this point the true legs release their grip and the caterpillar stretches forward to grip a point further along the twig, and then repeats the process. They wave their heads from side to side as they walk, as if measuring the distance, and consequently they are popularly known in the USA as "measuring worms". In Britain they are known as "loopers".
 
Some species use aposematic ( warning ) coloration to convince predators that they are unpleasant to eat. An example is the larva of the Cinnabar moth Tyria jacobaeae. This species is distasteful to birds because the larvae sequester toxins from their foodplant ragwort and accumulate them in their bodies. The larvae "advertise" their toxic properties by means of wasp-like orange and black banding. Experiments have shown that birds normally usually refuse to eat the larvae. If however they are painted with green dye to hide the warning colours, birds will then attack them, but immediately spit them out having discovered they are distasteful.
 
Larva of Cinnabar moth Tyria jacobaeae ( Arctiidae )
 
Related subjects :
 
Anatomy - the structure and biology of adult butterflies.
Parasitoids and Predators - of eggs, larvae, pupae and adult butterflies.
 
Courtship rituals and many other aspects of adult behaviour are discussed in detail in the individual species accounts, which can be accessed from the Species Index, or by clicking on thumbnail images of butterflies in the Photo Galleries.
 
 
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007-2008, and must not be reproduced or published in part or in whole elsewhere in any form without written permission from Adrian Hoskins. Breach of copyright will be pursued by litigation.
 
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