Difference Between Butterfly and Moth

Difference Between Butterfly and Moth

  • Submitted By: assej
  • Date Submitted: 10/09/2008 8:53 PM
  • Category: Science
  • Words: 484
  • Page: 2
  • Views: 738

Spot the difference


Who wouldn’t be familiar with butterflies and moths? An apparent kind of insects comprising more than a hundred thousand species worldwide in the second largest insect order, Lepidoptera which refers to the distinctive covering of minute scales and overlapping like shingles on the wings.


Butterflies and moths share similar features of anatomy, such as mouthparts for sucking nectar and two pair of wings that operate as one pair. In a like manner, these insects both undergo the four stages of a complete “Metamorphosis” which are the egg; larva or caterpillar; pupa or chrysalis; and adult wherein radical changes in forms or structures occur. We couldn’t deny the fact that this attractive creation loves the beautiful presence of a flower because it is where they can get food and reproduce, but for them to develop successfully and generate a large number of their kind they choose an appropriate place or suitable food plant to lay their eggs. Abounding almost everywhere, and feeding, as a group, on an enormous variety of plants, the Lepidoptera have the greatest ecological and economical importance for their larvae can transform million of tons of plant matter into animal matter and wastes and eventually recycled into plant matter. But beyond those similarities, there are still differences between these two. In order for us to figure that out, here are some key points on how we can distinguish a butterfly from a moth. The butterflies possess the characteristics of having a bright color, a firm wing scales, lack wing-coupling structures, and knobs at the end of the antennae while the moths obtain the nature of having a duller color, a looser wing scales, a special mechanism for joining the force and hind wings, and threadlike and tapered, or plumy antennae. These insects both improve into a highly advanced species however, they range in different groups and classification, butterflies are on different...

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