The last three stages of development are collectively called postembryonic development. From the morphological point of view, there is no * * * commonality with the postures shown in these four development stages. Therefore, only through systematic research or continuous observation can we understand that they are originally four developmental stages of a species.
1, eggs
Butterfly eggs are generally round or oval, with a waxy shell on the surface to prevent water evaporation, and a fine hole at one end, which is the channel for sperm to enter. The egg size of different kinds of butterflies varies greatly. Butterflies usually lay eggs on the leaves of plants that larvae like to eat to prepare food for larvae.
2. Larvae
After hatching, the larvae mainly eat food and eat many plant leaves. Larvae have different shapes, most of them are carnivores and a few are caterpillars. Butterflies mainly harm agriculture in the larval stage. As the larva grows, it usually goes through several molts.
3. Pupa
Larvae will become pupae when they mature. Larvae usually stays in a hidden place on the back of plant leaves, and then it will pupate directly without cocooning.
4. Adults
When the pupa matures, it breaks out of the cocoon, but it takes some time for the wings to dry and harden. At this time, butterflies can't avoid natural enemies, which is a dangerous period. After the wings are spread out, the butterfly can fly, and the front and rear wings of the butterfly are out of sync.
Therefore, butterflies fluctuate greatly when flying, and their posture is beautiful. The so-called "dancing" comes from the dancing of butterflies. Generally speaking, adult butterflies will die before winter comes after mating and spawning, but some species will migrate to the south for the winter.
Extended data
Why is a butterfly called a butterfly? The reason is:
The etymology of butterfly comes from the old English buterfleoge, which consists of butere (butter) and fleoge (flying creature).
There is a long-standing saying that butterflies like to steal cream and milk, so people say that they are elves with colorful wings and like to steal cream, so they are called butterflies. The above legend is also reflected in milchdieb, one of the German names of butterflies, which is equivalent to milk-thief in English.
Another explanation is that the butterfly refers to the color of the butterfly; Fly originally refers to flying insects, and the word butterfly may first refer to a sulfur yellow (the wings are closer to cream color when closed) pink butterfly in southern Europe after winter.
The male butterfly's front wings are orange, which brings warm light when flying. It is called butter-colored fly. The word butterfly has gradually evolved to refer to all kinds of butterflies.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Butterfly