Wings On Wings

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LEPIDOPTERANS Lepidopterans are an order of winged insects which include both butterflies and moths, found together in this zine! .

An order is one of eight heierarchical taxonomic ranks used to classify the creatures in our world.

In this case, the order Lepidopteran refers to the type of winged insect that butterflies and moths fall under, as opposed to, say, a dragonfly (Odonata) or mosquito(Diptera). They are the second largest insect order behind Coleoptera (beetles).

From there, the following lepidopterans have been organized by family, the next rank in the hierarchy.

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Eribidae A family of moths, part of the bigger superfamily Noctuoidea, and is among the largest families of moths by species count.

It even has some of the largest of all moths, like the white witch moth.

Found in North America and Northern Eurasia, the herald moth(Scoliopteryx libatrix) looks similar to an autumn leaf, and are the first recorded insect to use the piloerection (goosbumps) mechanism for thermoregulation.

Found in the US, Canada, and Europe, the garden tiger moth (Arctia caja) prefers colder climates with temperate seasonality.

Their body fluids are poisonous, as denoted by their bright colors.

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Saturniidae Also known as Saturniids, this family has an estimated 2.300 described species, and contains some of the largest species of moths in the world, and often have false "eyes" to deter predators.

The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas), exclusively native to South and East Asia, is one of the largest lepidopterans in the world, only surpassed by the white witch and Hercules moths, in wingspan, and surface area, respectively.

The Luna moth(Actias luna), found in North America have a lifespan of less than 10 days, as they do not have a functioning mouth or digestive system, instead using fat from their caterpillar to use as an energy source.

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Uraniidae This moth family contains four subfamilies and roughly 700 species, distributed throughout the tropics of the Americas, Africa, and Indo-Australia, and contains both diurnal(day-flying) and nocturnal(night-flying)species.

The Madagascan sunset moth(Chrysiridia rhipheus)is found in its namesake, and the larvae feed on the plants of the Omphalea genus, which are toxic. The moth itslef is also toxic, as denoted by its color.

The Lyssa menoetius moth is native to Borneo, and Sangihe, Sulawesi, and the Philippines, and like the Madagscan sunset moth, the larvae feed on the toxic genus of Omphalea plants.

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Nymphalidae This family is the largest family of butterflies, with over 6,000 species distributed throughout the world. They are also called brush-footed or four-footed butterflies due to their habit of only standing on four of their six legs and their brush-like hairs and include species like the well-known monarch butterfly.

The Menelaus blue morpho (Morpho menelaus) is found in Central and South America, and their iridecent wings have a unique nanostructure and color that made them widely hunted in the 20th century.

The Themis forester (Euphaedra themis) is found in West and Central Africa and has a habit of drier forests and disturbed forests, and has six subspecies.

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The thick-tipped greta(Greta morgane) is a diurnal clearwing butterfly of the Nymphalidae subfamily Ithomiine native to Mexico, Middle-America, and the Caribbean.

The question mark butterfly(Polygonia interrogationis)is found in North America and is named for the question mark-like spot on its underside(ventral)wing.

The Aphrodite fritillary(Speyeria aphrodite), found in North America, are a fritillary butterfly sensitive to temperature, and their population is declining due to climate change as a result.

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Riodinidae This is the family of metalmark butterflies, characterized by the small, metallic-looking spots commonly found on their wings. It contains 1,532 species, and while most common in South American, can be found in the rest of the world as well.

The Duke of Burgundy(Hamearis lucina)is found in Europe, previously thought to be a fritillary like the aforementioned Aphrodite fritillary because of the chequered pattern on its wings.

The Periander metalmark butterfly(Rhetus periander), resides in Central and South America. They lay eggs on the hottest day of the year, and its full life cycle is approximately 50 days.

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The punchinello butterfly(Zemeros flegyas) is native to South and Southeast Asia, with 18 subspecies, and a colouring that varies in the wet and dry seasons(wet season pictured).

Geometridae This family of moths' name is derived from the Ancient Greek word for "measure", in reference to the way their larvae inch about.

It contains about 23,000 described species, and has a number of notorious pests.

The middle lace border moth (Scoplua decorata) is found thoughout Europe. Their larvae feed on thyme, and it has six subspecies. It flies in two generations, from the end of May, to August.

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The purple-bordered gold(Idaea muricata) is found in northern Eurasia and East Asia. They are nocturnal(night-flyers) and was first discovered and described in 1767.

The long blue tiger moth(Dysphania palmyra) is found in India and Sri Lanka,and best identified by their markings and bright color. Their larvae are known to eat the leaves of tea plants.

The false tiger moth(Dysphania subrepleta) have been known to live in IndoChina and western Malesia, including Borneo, with no known subspecies.

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Pieridae

This family of butterflies contains about 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and Asia, with a few varieties in North America and Eurasia. The pigments in their coloring is caused by waste products in the body and are characteristic of this family.

The orange-washed sulphur(Phoebis avellaneda)is found exclusively in Cuba, and was named to honor the Cuban writier Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, and is rare in collections.

The common Jezebel(Delias eucharis)is found in South and Southeast Asia. Their coloring makes them recognizable to birds to convey their unpalatable taste due to toxins accumulated during their larval stage..

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Nature is always lavish of her gifts even to the most insignificant forms. The butterflies and moths are richly dowered in this respect."

- Annie Besant

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