Natural History Notes

  Five-bar Swordtail Both swordtail and swallowtail butterflies are grouped into the same family, namely  Papilionidae which is distinguished by the protrusions on their hindwings. In the case of swallowtails, these extensions often form twin tails reminiscent of a swallow’s forked tail. Swordtails, as their name implies, showcase a distinct, single sword-like extension which can clearly be seen in the Five-bar Swordtail ( Graphium antiphates ), for example.  It also differs from many swallowtail by their iridescent wings with green and yellow bands against a black background. Common Mormon Swallowtails such as the Common Mormon ( Papilio polytes ) has a somewhat broader wings, though they are not as quick as swordtails but still a strong flier.  Their wings are mainly black, with pale streaks visible up close on the forewings, while the hindwings have white streaks punctuated with red crescent markings. Interestingly, the female of this species exhibits a form of mi...

Basically, insect mouthparts consist of four modified appendages: labrum (upper lip), mandibles (jaws), maxillae (second jaws) and labium (lower lip). Mouthparts are categorized into two main groups: biting mouthparts and sucking mouthparts. A damselfly has biting mouthparts. Insects with biting mouthparts are usually those that eat vegetation or other insects. These insects use their muscle powered mandibles to chew and tear their food. Damselflies and grasshoppers are examples of this group of insects. The butterflies are insects with sucking mouthparts. What appear to be a tube are two elongated maxilla fused together. In butterflies, it is known as proboscis and it can curl inward. Proboscis of a butterfly. The mouthparts are adaptation of insects for different diet. Therefore, you can guess what type of mouthpart an insect possesses by observing its feeding behavior. Even within the same species, the mouthparts may differ depending on life stage. Take the ...

Because of their close resemblance to the moths, a layman often mistook a Hesperiidae butterfly for a moth. But he or she may have a second thought about it since this particular insect is active in daylight, unlike moths which normally fly out at night. A skipper butterfly basking in the sun This is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae, also known as skipper. They are small or medium in size, with a stocky body and thick thorax (the body region between the head and abdomen). An easy way to identify them is when they are basking for many do so with one pair of wing folded and another pair outstretched. In addition many have a characteristic antenna whereby the tip is bent outward as seen in the picture above. They appear to skip from place to place due to their rapid and short flight, hence the common name skipper.

Butterflies not only feed on nectar, but they also sip moisture containing nutrients in puddles or wet soil - a behaviour known as puddling.