Editing Butterfly (section)

====Adult====

[[File:ParthenosSylviaButterfly.jpg|thumb|An adult ''[[Parthenos sylvia]]'' butterfly]]

The reproductive stage of the insect is the winged adult or [[imago]]. The surface of both butterflies and moths is covered by scales, each of which is an outgrowth from a single [[Epidermis|epidermal]] cell. The head is small and dominated by the two large [[Eye#Compound eyes|compound eyes]]. These are capable of distinguishing flower shapes or motion but cannot view distant objects clearly. Colour perception is good, especially in some species in the blue/violet range. The [[Antenna (biology)|antennae]] are composed of many segments and have clubbed tips (unlike moths that have tapering or feathery antennae). The sensory receptors are concentrated in the tips and can detect odours. Taste receptors are located on the palps and on the feet. The mouthparts are adapted to sucking and the [[mandible]]s are usually reduced in size or absent. The first maxillae are elongated into a tubular [[proboscis]] which is curled up at rest and expanded when needed to feed. The first and second maxillae bear palps which function as sensory organs. Some species have a reduced proboscis or maxillary palps and do not feed as adults.<ref name=Formfunction/>

Many ''[[Heliconius]]'' butterflies also use their proboscis to feed on pollen;<ref>{{Cite journal|pmid = 25958827|year = 2015|last1 = Harpel|first1 = D.|title = Pollen feeding proteomics: Salivary proteins of the passion flower butterfly, Heliconius melpomene|journal = Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology|volume = 63|pages = 7–13|last2 = Cullen|first2 = D. A.|last3 = Ott|first3 = S. R.|last4 = Jiggins|first4 = C. D.|last5 = Walters|first5 = J. R.|doi = 10.1016/j.ibmb.2015.04.004| bibcode=2015IBMB...63....7H |s2cid=39086740 |url = https://lirias.kuleuven.be/handle/123456789/509592|access-date = 8 November 2018|archive-date = 19 July 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210719044718/https://limo.libis.be/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=LIRIAS528183&context=L&vid=Lirias&search_scope=Lirias&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US&fromSitemap=1|url-status = live|hdl = 2381/37010|hdl-access = free}}</ref> in these species only 20% of the amino acids used in reproduction come from larval feeding, which allow them to develop more quickly as caterpillars, and gives them a longer lifespan of several months as adults.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Heliconius_ethilla%20-%20Ethilia%20Longwing%20Butterfly.pdf |title=The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago {{!}} ''Heliconius ethilla'' (Ethilia Longwing Butterfly) |publisher=UWI St. Augustine |access-date=28 May 2018 |archive-date=28 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528215909/https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Heliconius_ethilla%20-%20Ethilia%20Longwing%20Butterfly.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

The thorax of the butterfly is devoted to locomotion. Each of the three thoracic segments has two legs (among [[Nymphalidae|nymphalids]], the first pair is reduced and the insects walk on four legs). The second and third segments of the thorax bear the wings. The leading edges of the forewings have thick veins to strengthen them, and the hindwings are smaller and more rounded and have fewer stiffening veins. The forewings and hindwings are not hooked together ([[Wing coupling (Lepidoptera anatomy)|as they are in moths]]) but are coordinated by the friction of their overlapping parts. The front two segments have a pair of [[Spiracle (arthropods)|spiracle]]s which are used in respiration.<ref name=Formfunction/>

The abdomen consists of ten segments and contains the gut and genital organs. The front eight segments have spiracles and the terminal segment is modified for reproduction. The male has a pair of clasping organs attached to a ring structure, and during copulation, a tubular structure is extruded and inserted into the female's vagina. A [[spermatophore]] is deposited in the female, following which the sperm make their way to a seminal receptacle where they are stored for later use. In both sexes, the genitalia are adorned with various spines, teeth, scales and bristles, which act to prevent the butterfly from mating with an insect of another species.<ref name=Formfunction/> After it emerges from its pupal stage, a butterfly cannot fly until the wings are unfolded. A newly emerged butterfly needs to spend some time inflating its wings with [[hemolymph]] and letting them dry, during which time it is extremely vulnerable to predators.<ref>{{cite book |last=Woodbury |first=Elton N. |title=Butterflies of Delmarva |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cDNHAAAAYAAJ |year=1994 |publisher=Delaware Nature Society; Tidewater Publishers |isbn=978-0-87033-453-5 |page=22 |access-date=8 January 2016 |archive-date=9 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509035428/https://books.google.com/books?id=cDNHAAAAYAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>