Virtual Exhibit on Canada´s Biodiversity

	Metamorphoses: complete North American Families: 75 North American Species: Over 11 000 species	Lepidoptera Butterflies and moths Feeding Habits: The adults feed on plant nectar but some species have underdeveloped mouthparts and do not feed in the adult stage. The larvae are almost all plant feeders and eat the leaf directly, some are serious pests of cultivated plants. A few caterpillars are carnivorous and others are scavengers.
	Description: Four large membranous wings covered with scales give Lepidoptera their colour and pattern. The adults of butterflies and moths have sucking mouth parts and have a well developed proboscis for drinking nectar or fermenting tree sap. The larvae, called caterpillars, have chewing mouthparts with well developed mandibles. The antennae of butterflies are knobbed at the end, and those of moths are variable but rarely knobbed. When they are at rest, the butterflies hold their wings together vertically over the thorax while the moths hold their wings rooflike over the body. The larvae are usually worm-like with three pairs of jointed legs on the front part of the body and usually five pairs of softer and thicker unjointed legs or prolegs on the middle and hind part of the body.
	Comments: The larvae have well developed silk glands in the head, and they use this silk to make shelters and to spin a cocoon around themselves. In most butterflies the larvae hang themselves up in the open and turn into a pupa. The caterpillars of moths spin a cocoon underground, among litter on the ground or sometimes on a tree. The butterflies are active during the day while most moths are nocturnal.

	Families in this Order
	Arctiidae: Tiger moths and wasp moths Size: 12 to 70 mm North American Species: 265
	Geometridae: Inchworms and geometer moths Size: 10 to 60 mm North American Species: 1400
	Hesperiidae: Skippers Size: 14 to 50 mm North American Species: 300
	Lasiocampidae: Tent caterpillars and lappet moths Size: 25 to 58 mm North American Species: 35
	Lycaenidae: Coppers, hairstreaks, blues and harvesters. Size: 11 to 47 mm North American Species: 160
	Lymantriidae: Tussock moths Size: 15 to 67 mm North American Species: 46
	Noctuidae: Noctuid moths Size: 12 to 170 mm North American Species: 2900
	Nymphalidae: Brush-footed butterflies Size: 24 to 100 mm North American Species: 220
	Papilionidae: Parnassians and swallowtails Size: 60 to 150 mm North American Species: 40
	Pieridae: Whites, sulphurs, and orange tips Size: 22 to 70 mm North American Species: 65
	Pterophoridae: Plume moths Size: 13 to 41 mm North American Species: 146
	Pyralidae: Snout and grass moths Size: 9 to 37 mm North American Species: 1375
	Saturniidae: Giant silkworm moths and royal moths Size: 30 to 150 mm North American Species: 68
	Sesiidae: Clearwing moths Size: 14 to 46 mm North American Species: 115
	Sphingidae: Sphinx moths or hornworms Size: 32 to 155 mm North American Species: 125
	Tineidae: Clothes moths Size: 10 to 30 mm North American Species: 135
	Tortricidae: Tortricid moths Size: 8 to 35 mm North American Species: 1200

LepidopteraButterflies and moths

Families in this Order

Lepidoptera
Butterflies and moths