Difference between Butterfly and Moth

Nov 30 -0001

Distinguish, differentiate, compare and explain what is the difference between Butterfly and Moth. Comparison and Differences.

Butterflies and moths are the world's second-largest animal group, behind beetles. Although 165,000 butterfly and moth species have been documented, it is anticipated that another 100,000 remain unknown. Butterflies and moths are classified as Lepidoptera, which translates to "scale-winged" in Greek. Their name refers to the small scales that coat their wings and body. Lepidoptera, like other insects, have an exoskeleton with joints that allows them to move. Moths and butterflies share characteristics with other insects, including six legs, a head, a thorax, and an abdomen.

Butterfly or Moth

There are three major differences between butterflies and moths;

Butterflies are often more colorful than moths because butterflies are active during the day. Moths, active at night, have earthy colors to camouflage them while they sleep during the day.
Most butterflies have club-shaped antennae while a moth’s antennae are feather - like or taper to a point.
Moths have a thicker coating of scales than butterflies, gving them a furry appearance. This differs from butterflies because moths fly at night and are not usually active during the day when the sun would warm their bodies.

Differences between Butterfly and Moth

S.No.	Butterfly	Moth
1	Colorful and Beautiful	Looks dull or dingy
2	Has thin body	Has thik body
3	Wings rest upright	Wings rest along body
4	Mostly active in day time	Active in night time
5	Has long, straight or clubbed antennae	Has short, feathery antennae
6	Wings rest closed	Wings rest open
7	Keeps a safe distance from light or energy sources	Deliberately crashes with light sources
8	Friendly and charming	Prone to bouts of self-pity
9	No wing hinges	Upper and lower wings attached

Food and Finding It

Butterflies and moths feed on a wide variety of liquids for energy and reproduction. Though famous for their affinity to flower nectar, butterflies and moths often feed on less appetizing items, such as feces, sap, rotten fruit and decomposing animals. All butterflies drink water, but male butterflies also drink liquids to obtain minerals vital to reproduction.

Life Cycle

There are 4 life cycle stages for all butterflies and moths: egg, larva (or caterpillar), pupa, and adult. This cycle is called complete metamorphosis.

Habitat

Butterflies and moths can be found all over the world. However, the world’s greatest diversity of butterflies and moths can be found in tropical rainforests. This means that there are a great number of different species in areas close to the equator.

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