Papilionoidea
Small Tortoiseshell ( Aglais urticae)
The Papilionoidea are an approximately 14,500 species comprehensive superfamily of butterflies ( Lepidoptera). To her are those referred to as families of butterflies Swallowtail butterfly ( Papilionidae ), White (Pieridae ), Lycaenidae ( Lycaenidae ) and Nymphalidae ( Nymphalidae ). The skipper ( Hesperiidae ) were placed in a separate superfamily, which incorporated Hesperioidea; This is related to the Papilionoidea next. To superfamily includes many of the most colorful species of butterflies. It covers in Europe 457 species and subspecies. Their main area of distribution are the tropics.
Features
The moths vary in size from very small to very large species. Your autapomorphies grounded in very fine anatomical details of the thorax. The Anepisternum of metathorax consists of a very small sclerite, which is due to its size difficult to detect. For all other butterfly groups, it is well developed only in the large head moths it is small. The parepisternale seam runs in a straight line or a slightly curved arc from lying on the back ( dorsal) end to the base of Sklerits. In the remaining butterflies this seam is strongly curved. The Mesophragma has dorsal appendages, which are absent in the other butterflies. This feature is often strong but can also be reduced. The ventral ( anterior ) border of Tegula is connected to a diaphragm with the mesonotum and the secondary sclerite is located behind the Metascutellum.
The moths do not have simple eyes ( ocelli ). Their antennae are thickened club-shaped at the top. The proboscis is usually well developed, the Maxillarpalpen are well developed, but usually short or absent altogether. The labial palps consist of three members and are directed to the front or top either. In some species they are lengthened or shortened. The front legs are sometimes much reduced form in some species. The wing pairs are connected during flight not protected by a frenulum but by overlapping wing areas.
The eggs are very different in their form and structure. The doll is exposed, without web and is usually at the rear end with a silk pillow which is made on the substrate, respectively.
Taxonomy and systematics
A large-scale study, which was published in March 2013, has investigated the entire order of the butterflies on kinship relations. In contrast to older classifications the families of the skipper ( Hesperiidae ) and Hedylidae be classified in the superfamily Papilionoidea in this report ..
The superfamily Papilionoidea thus comprises seven families whose relationships revealed the following cladogram:
Swallowtail Butterfly ( Papilionidae )
Skipper ( Hesperiidae )
Hedylidae
White (Pieridae )
Brush-footed Butterflies ( Nymphalidae )
Large Blues ( Lycaenidae )
Dice butterfly ( Riodinidae )