Sometimes the simplest questions can be confusing and make you think for a long time. For example, how many wings does a butterfly have? At first glance, the answer is obvious - four. But many sincerely believe that there are two of them. Why such a confusion arises as to what the structure of Lepidoptera and how many wings a butterfly actually has is the topic of this article.
Who are butterflies
These creatures belong to the class of insects, the order Lepidoptera. They are named so because their wings are covered with tiny scales. They are modified (oblate) chitinous hairs. Like a thick carpet, they cover the wings of butterflies and provide them with a bright and varied color. On each of the wings, their number can reach a million.
Flakes are different: optical, pigmented and odorous. The latter secrete pheromones - special substances that attract individuals of the other sex. Some butterflies can sense a female for tens of kilometers. Pigment flakes color the wings in a variety of shades of color, while optical ones have ribs that refract light. Because of them, butterfly wings can overflow.
Now the order of Lepidoptera has about 250 thousand species.
Wing structure
Answering the question of how many wings a butterfly has, we briefly consider its structure. The insect itself consists of three sections - this is the head, chest and abdomen. Wings are located in the middle and back of the chest. By the way, how many pairs of wings does a butterfly have? The answer can be found in this diagram.
It clearly shows that Lepidoptera have two pairs of wings - two anterior and two hind. They are webbed, have a certain number of veins. A two-layer membrane stretched over the vein frame forms a wing.
Why does it seem that there are only two wings - to the right and left of the insect's abdomen? The fact is that in the butterfly they are located in the same plane, and in some representatives of Lepidoptera they also have a membrane connecting them. The butterfly flaps two pairs of wings simultaneously. This creates the false impression that there are two of them.
Butterfly wing coloring - endless variety of shades
The beauty and richness of the bright colors of Lepidoptera are constantly compared with flowers. Among the butterflies there are individuals quite inconspicuous, dressed in gray and brown tones. They are mostly nocturnal, and their discreet coloring allows them to perfectly mask on stones, branches or tree bark. But there are much more butterflies with amazingly beautiful wings painted in the most incredible colors.
The most unusual wings of butterflies
A variety of unusual shapes and colors of lepidopteran wings cannot but admire. Among them there are such instances that seem simply impossible, they look so amazing.
The glass butterfly Greta oto has transparent wings, framed by a dark border. The body of the insect is painted in brown tones. Against this background, wings devoid of pigment scales look completely transparent. In the Amazon forests, Greta oto is one of the most common butterflies, but for us its appearance is very unusual and beautiful.
Saturnia Madagascar from the peacock-eye family is the owner of unusual wings with long tails. They have a bright color (from lemon to orange). This butterfly is one of the largest in the world. On each wing the size of a person’s palm is a spot in the shape of an eye. The butterfly that lives only in Madagascar looks impressive.
And the snow-white fingerwing looks like it is covered with feathers. These butterflies are very small, reach 10-40 millimeters in length and lead a nocturnal lifestyle.
Conclusion
How many wings does a butterfly have? The answer to a seemingly simple question is not always easy. But this is a great reason to look at butterflies and once again admire the ingenuity and imagination of nature.