But butterflies not only eat nectar, but also carrion, such as two-tailed butterflies.
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Feeding habits:
1. Specific or oligotrophic:
Generally speaking, larvae are phytophagous, and their food habits are often specific or oligotrophic, which means that some butterfly larvae usually only eat the leaves of one or several plants. For example, the great white butterfly only eats the leaves of climbing vines, while the red butterfly eats many leaves of Aristolochiaceae plants. The plants that the larvae like to eat are called the host plants or herbivores of the larvae.
2. Semi-carnivorous or carnivorous:
The feeding habits of some butterflies in Taiwan Province Province have changed to semi-carnivorous or carnivorous. For example, butterfly larvae with light blue freckles and small white freckles will migrate from host plants to ant nests to live with ants after the third instar, while the larvae feed on ant larvae, which are semi-carnivorous butterflies. Butterflies, such as small gray butterflies with checkerboard or small gray butterflies with white stripes, feed on aphids from the moment they hatch.
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butterfly
Butterflies belong to LEPIDOPTERA. At present, there are about 16500 species in the world, and about 400 species have been recorded in Taiwan Province province. Butterflies are completely abnormal insects, which go through four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult.
Eggs and larvae.
Pupa. Adults.
The growth process of Papilio includes four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult.
Butterflies mainly feed on nectar of various plants. Many butterflies and butterflies often absorb water in wetlands and canyons by streams. Some of them feed on nectar or fruit fermented juice from broken tree trunks, while others suck animal excrement such as feces and urine. The female butterfly will disappear from the host plant of the larva in order to lay eggs.
Some butterflies like fermented fruit. The white butterfly in the picture is sucking the juice of pineapple.
There are a pair of "smelly horns" hidden behind the head of the butterfly larva, which are not used at ordinary times. Once disturbed or attacked,
Immediately turn out the smelly horn and give off a special smell to drive away the enemy; Spotted butterfly larvae are poisonous because of their food.
Plants accumulate toxins in the body, and colorful body colors warn the enemy and make the enemy afraid to eat, thus achieving the purpose of protection.
The effect of self-protection.
The larva of Papilio formosana, which is turning out its smelly horn, is poisonous in its body, so it is reported to the world with its bright body color.
Butterfly larvae will go through the pupal stage before becoming adults, and mature larvae will first spin silk on the fixture and use the end of the abdomen.
Fix the hook on it, then spit out a circle of thick ribbon on your chest repeatedly, put it on the back side of your body center, and so on.
When peeling and pupating, it forms "pupation", for example, the larvae of Papilio butterfly pupate like this; Another kind of old, mature and young.
After the worm spins silk and is fixed, it hangs upside down and then peels and pupates, forming "hanging pupae" or "hanging pupae", such as spots.
Butterflies fall into this category.
The pupa of Papilio is "pupa". The pupa of Papilio is "pupa".
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The life of a butterfly goes through four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Larvae and adult are the only two active periods in their life, and their living habits are completely different and varied. Understanding their living habits is very helpful for collection and classification. The living habits of butterfly larvae and adults are described as follows.
Life habits of larvae
raise
After the butterfly larvae hatch by biting the eggshell, some species take a break and eat the host plants directly; Some species (such as the red-eyed bamboo butterfly) feed on eggshells first, and then on plants; Some species also need to feed on the shed old epidermis every time, such as Pieris rapae and Pieris rapae.
The feeding objects of butterfly larvae are different according to different insect species, and most larvae like to eat leaves; Some species, such as pink butterfly, orange-spotted pink butterfly and other flower buds; There are also some species that feed on young pods or young fruits, such as the pod gray butterfly that feeds on young pods and the gardenia gray butterfly that feeds on young gardenia fruits. In addition, in Papilionidae, several kinds of larvae are carnivorous. For example, Papilionidae is addicted to coffee scales, and Papilionidae specializes in feeding on bamboo aphids. This carnivorous species is a rare beneficial insect among butterflies.
Larvae that feed on plant leaves, such as the first instar, often eat mesophyll on the back of leaves and leave the upper epidermis to form transparent spots similar to glass windows. Later, larvae feed on leaves, or nibble inward from the edge of leaves; As the bug grows up, it eats more and more. When the insect population density on a plant is high, the whole plant will be eaten up.
Activities and habitats
The activities and habitat habits of butterfly larvae are also different due to different insect species. Judging from the activity time, the general species usually come out for activities at sunset in the morning and evening. However, some species (such as Pieris rapae, etc. ) During the day, some species (such as many butterfly larvae) move at night.
According to the activity law, the feeding and perching activities of the first instar larvae of many social species are consistent (more obvious in the first and second instars); Gather together to feed or inhabit, such as the Chinese tiger butterfly. Some butterflies, such as the larvae of nettle butterflies, often spin silk among nettles in dozens of groups, hiding in them like spiders to resist foreign enemies, and at the same time foraging and inhabiting, which is quite regular.
The habitat of butterfly larvae is generally hidden, so it is not easy to find individual larvae in the wild. Some butterfly larvae often live in seclusion by decorating the leaves of their nests. There are different ways to decorate leaves from one to several, each with its own style or skill. Banana butterfly larvae can stick the edge folds of banana leaves to the nest for seclusion, while rice butterflies often connect several leaves together to build nests inside. Larvae with nesting habits or web-building habits feed near their habitats and never go far. When disturbed, they immediately retreat to their nests to hide, which is completely different from the habitat habits of ordinary butterflies.
Living habits of adults
drink water
Water is an important part of organism's metabolism. Therefore, we can often see butterflies stopping on the wet ground to absorb water, especially the slightly salty water, which can attract them to drink. At noon on a hot summer day, when the scorching sun is in the sky, all kinds of butterflies gather there to absorb water on sunken mountain roads and streams.
raise
Butterflies have different life spans. The long one can reach 1 1 month, and the short one is only about 2 ~ 3 weeks. During this period, the male butterfly is busy mating with the female butterfly, and the female butterfly is busy looking for the host to lay eggs, so it is necessary to fully absorb the nutrients of nature. Only in this way can they successfully complete the sacred mission of passing on the seeds to the next generation.
Butterflies are not insects that specialize in exploring flowers and sucking honey. Due to different species, their feeding objects are also very different, and most of them are exclusive. For example, some species not only suck nectar, but also suck nectar from certain plants; Some butterflies don't suck nectar, but like to eat other rotten fruits or sap oozing from trees, and even feces of people, animals and birds. It can be seen that butterflies have a wide range of feeding habits.
activity
Butterflies are warm animals, and their body temperature changes with the ambient temperature. Therefore, the butterfly's life activities are directly controlled by the external temperature. It stopped when the temperature was low.
Every morning in early spring or late autumn, in the field, we can often see some butterflies spread their wings and warm themselves against the sun, and they will not start to move until their body temperature rises to the required starting point. This phenomenon will be particularly clear if you observe it on a mountain of 3000-4000 meters. When the sun shines on the earth through the clouds, you can see all kinds of butterflies flying around actively. If the sun is suddenly covered by clouds, then they stop moving immediately, and in an instant, there is no trace of a butterfly. When the sun shines again, they are as active as before, and it is very interesting to repeat it regularly again and again like this. Knowing that butterflies are warm animals, it is not difficult to explain the above phenomenon.
The characteristics of life activities of various butterflies are different, and the habits of males and females of the same species may also be different. Female butterflies usually wander around the host plant's growth area, and their range of activities is relatively narrow. This habit is most prominent in alpine areas, because the distribution of plants is closely related to altitude. As for male butterflies, they fly around looking for mates. Even in mountainous areas, their range of activities is much wider.
The tremor of the mountain peak is the gathering place of many butterflies, and the mountain pass is the only way for many butterflies to fly. In addition, the pass of the deep ravine is also the place where butterflies haunt the most. It should also be noted that there are also many butterflies with very narrow ranges of activities. They seem unwilling to leave their home and live in a small world. People can't easily see them until their home, such as the butterfly with sparse hair. Therefore, when we go to a new area to collect and investigate butterflies, we should first consider the above factors, so as to get twice the result with half the effort.
Butterfly's activities mainly depend on flying. The habit of flying varies with the number of species; From the attitude of flying, there are different flying modes, such as straight forward, dance forward and curve forward. Judging from the speed of flying, some are too fast to distinguish, and some are too slow to catch with their bare hands. There are also some species that can glide, some species can fly in a fixed position, and some species can fly with wings, dance with the wind and cross the ocean.
In addition, there are some species in the forest that can fly in the air for a long time, alternating from east to west, just like bees and flies flying in the air, only some traces can be seen. There is also a six-spotted butterfly, commonly known as "heteropterous butterfly". When it is disturbed, it flies in the air, straight into the sky, and quickly flies out of people's sight. It seems really interesting.
pole
Butterflies are diurnal insects, so when dusk comes, they will choose quiet and hidden places to live. Habitat environment varies with insect species. General species like to perch on the branches and leaves of plants, while some species like to perch on cliffs.
Generally, butterflies live alone, but some species, such as many species of butterflies, like to live in groups. Among them, Papilio fusca is a famous large-scale social species.
When butterflies are active during the day, individual species also have their unique habitat habits. For example, the Papilio butterfly will wander in the forest for a period of time like a dragonfly, then rest on the treetops, and then fly again every once in a while, so it is difficult to catch this butterfly except for foraging. There are also some butterflies (such as the emerald gray butterfly) who like to perch on the bush leaves in the mountain pass. When they see other butterflies flying by, they will fly to catch up, and occasionally, they will return to their original habitat. Later, they will see other butterflies fly by and catch up with them, so they fly regularly again and again, in order to intercept similar females in the middle and wait for the chance to mate. So, sometimes it doesn't matter if we run away without catching this butterfly. After a while, they will still fly back to their original place, giving you a chance to catch it again, so it is easy to catch this butterfly.
Finally, talk about the living habits of the butterfly. Dead-leaf butterflies usually live in mountainous areas with lush trees, and they often haunt the lush mixed forests under the cliffs. When the male butterfly is active, it often flies on the leaves of broad-leaved trees more than 2 meters above the flowing water of the stream, waiting for the female butterfly to fly over and chase after mating. At this time, throwing the net and catching it is very successful. If the net immediately flies into the jungle and stops on vines or branches, it will fly fast and move fast, and be covered by cool dead leaves in its wings, so it is extremely difficult to find its habitat for a while. Its perching posture is low head and tail, and it often perches on a thick leafless trunk.
The migratory flight of butterflies
Many migratory flights of butterflies have been recorded in history. According to Williams 1930 statistics, it has reached 1273 times. It is known that 2 14 species of butterflies in the world have the habit of migration and flight.
Butterfly migration groups are large and small, with a number of millions. The composition of the migrant population is single and mixed. The distance of migration is short and long, and the distance is short, only in a small range; People who are far away often fly over continents or oceans. For example, Webster reported an anecdote in 1935, saying that Papilio flew from Mexico to Canada and Alaska for a long distance of 4,000 kilometers.
There are not many records about butterfly migration in Chinese history. According to the records in historical documents, 1603 to 1933 was obtained only five times. It happened in Yunnan and Guangxi provinces, and the last time was 1933. According to the record of Shanghai News on June 16, "Kunming, Yunnan1May 2, 933 was cloudy at noon, and there were tens of millions of white butterflies flying from the east of the city, flying all over the fields, trees and walls of the town. ..... After resting for two hours, the butterfly flew again ... and then flew to the western provincial capital. The town is full of people. This butterfly is pure white with one or two small black spots on its wings. There are about tens of millions of them, and no other colors are mixed in ... "
In recent years, this newspaper has also reported the phenomenon of butterfly migration many times. The latest report was published in Jiefang Daily on August 2nd 1988: "The phenomenon of' butterfly snow' occurred three times in a row from July 19 to July 2nd1day in Xinglong Mountain Scenic Area, Yuzhong County, Gansu Province. According to local witnesses, these three "butterfly snows" occurred from 10 in the morning to 1 in the afternoon, and the flying butterfly snows were overwhelming, flying from Xinglong Mountain to Maxian Mountain. Butterflies are yellow and white with black spots. The largest group appeared in the morning of 19 19. The Xinglong Gorge, which is nearly 100 meters wide, is full of butterflies. This butterfly array is about 5 kilometers long from front to back. Nearly three hours later, some people detained dozens of people with straw hats. "
Unfortunately, in the history of butterfly migration in China, no real butterfly specimen has ever been captured, so it is difficult to make a report with scientific value. The author hopes that butterfly lovers from all over the country will follow the camera and capture the butterfly specimens participating in the migration, filling this gap in the history of butterfly migration in China.
companion
Generally speaking, male butterflies appear earlier than female butterflies. After that, the male butterfly flew everywhere, looking for the newly hatched female butterfly and catching up with her first. If the female butterfly perched on a leaf has copulated, when the male butterfly flies, it will spread its wings flat, and its abdomen will rise high and never take off. This is a sign that the female butterfly does not accept copulation, so the male butterfly flies around for a while and has to give him up. On the contrary, it is mating. Sometimes, when a female butterfly doesn't need to mate, she may meet several male butterflies chasing after her mate, holding her down, flying around in circles, inextricably linked, and ascending together. At this time, the female butterfly suddenly lowered her wings and landed quickly. This escape made the male butterfly lost his way, and she didn't know where the female butterfly was before she could get away. This "escape" instinct of the female butterfly is quite interesting.
There are also some butterflies, such as most species of Seriphidae. After mating, a variety of mating derivatives (petals) grow at the base of the mating sac opening, which becomes an obstacle to prevent mating again, and there are many kinds of insects. This is a major feature of identifying insect species.
Butterflies mate with their tails touching each other and their heads facing both ends, such as Papilio. In the process of mating, if disturbed, the female butterfly will fly actively, while the male butterfly will quietly hang upside down and let it fly away.
lay eggs
Butterflies lay eggs in their own places and never lay eggs indiscriminately. The most common thing is to lay eggs on the opposite side of leaves. Usually one pill at a time, such as citrus Papilio. Some of them lay eggs in pieces, such as silk butterflies. The eggs laid by many butterflies on plants have their own specific parts and special arrangements. For example, the eggs of Papilio are laid on the buds of Pu Shu; The eggs of the pod gray butterfly are laid at the base of the lentil bud; Papilio flavescens laid a large number of eggs on poplar branches, and the eggs were arranged neatly and wound into rings. More interestingly, butterflies often have 4-5 eggs, or as many as a dozen.
In addition, some butterflies lay their eggs on other objects near the host plant, such as the tailless silver viper butterfly. The most interesting way to lay eggs is the dead leaf butterfly. Sometimes the female butterfly does not directly lay eggs on the leaves of the host plant, such as Malan, but indirectly lays eggs on the branches about half a meter above the host plant. After the larvae hatch from the eggs, they will spit out a hairspring, which will fall down quickly and reach the leaves of the host plants by the wind and ripples. Like this "prescient" spawning habit, in butterflies,