Butterflies are insects that conjure the image of sunshine, beauty, freedom, and the coming of spring. Many of them have large, bright-colored wings and a conspicuous fluttering flight.
However, many of them are under threat today due to the unprecedented environmental change. Since these insects are so fragile, they have become quick to react to change. They are also known as indicators of biodiversity, so their struggle to survive is a serious warning by the environment.
Here are some of them who might go extinct soon:
1. Morph butterflies
Morpho peleides Kollar, or also known as peleides blue morpho is a brightly colored butterfly commonly found in Central and South America. This butterfly is often featured in museums and zoos with butterfly houses or rainforests in the United States.
Life Cycle:
Their eggs are small, smooth, and hemispherical and laid on the upper surface of the leaves. They are light green and have a circular band of small brown spots near the top. The egg stage is known to last from seven to 16 days.
Their larval stage consists of five instars or molts, and in all of these stages, the larvae are known to feed at dawn and dusk. When they are not eating, the larvae remain motionless. This stage lasts from seven to 14 days.
Morpho butterflies' pupal stage lasts approximately 14 days in which the pupa looks pale green and in an oval shape. But just before it emerges into a butterfly, the pupa turns transparent, making the adult visible.
The adult Morpho butterflies have black bodies and blue wings with the underside of cryptic brown. The average wingspan of an adult male Morpho butterflies is 8.5x1.4cm.
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2. Banded Peacock butterflies
Anartia Fatima, one of the most common and abundant butterflies found in Panama, is a medium-sized butterfly that is brown above with a bold cream white band across each wing. It prefers subtropical climates and areas with lots of moisture.
Life cycle:
Their eggs are typically 1 mm in diameter and rest for approximately five days before hatching. Then, during the larvae stage, they go through six instar phases that could last for up to 7 days.
After these stages, they undergo the pupal stage. But before that, the larvae wander for about a day and then prepares a silk pupation platform several centimeters above the ground on the bottom of a leaf or twig. This period roughly lasts for about six days.
Then during the adult stage, the butterfly emerges from its pupa in the morning and will be ready to fly within one to two hours.
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3. Purple Emperor butterfly
Apatura iris has iridescent wings that turn to blue or purple in the light. It used to be common in the British Isles. Their diet consists of honeydew secreted by aphids and sometimes feeds on dung and carrion.
Life cycle:
Purple emperor butterfly lay eggs in late summer on the upper side of sallow leaves. After hatching, the larvae lie on the mid-rib of the leaf where they are camouflaged and only eat during nighttime. In winter, they hibernate in the forks of the sallow branch, where they change their color from green to brown.
By June, they form pale green chrysalis that is 30-35 mm long and 12-15 mm in width. They usually become adults by June and start flying in August.
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4. Glasswing butterfly
Greta oto is quite large and got its name from its magical transparent wings. It is commonly seen in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. These butterflies can spend hours feeding on a single flower.
Life cycle:
Their eggs are laid on the plant genus Cestrum which later on becomes their food source. As a larva, glass winged caterpillars are green with bright purple and red stripes. They are cylindrical with smooth dorsal projections with filaments, making them extremely reflective.
Its pupa is silver in color and produces silk during the fifth instar. The silk is essential for greater flexibility to the pupa attachment.
They are easily distinguished as adults as their wings are transparent with opaque, brown borders with red or orange, while their bodies are dark brown.
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5. Mitchell's Satyr
Neonympha mitchellii michelli is a rare butterfly with a wingspan of up to 1.75 inches. Its wings are adorned by rows of orange-ringed, black circular eye-spots. Unfortunately, urbanization combined with pesticides, fertilizers, and nutrient runoff has destroyed its natural habitat and decreased their numbers.
Life cycle:
Mitchell's satyr typically lay their eggs in July close to the ground on tiny plants. The eggs will hatch after seven to 11 days.
During the larvae stage, they are very small to find and feed on tussock sedge and other fine-leaved sedges, and also grasses.
Chrysalis, or during the pupa stage, happens in June, and changes are expected to occur within.
Then finally, it emerges into a butterfly in late June and only lives for a few weeks. But males tend to emerge first than females by just a couple of days. At this stage, they start to mate and then lay eggs, and finally die.
