BUTTERFLY
 
 
The butterfly is an insect that belongs to the Lepidoptera order.   In comparison to most other insects, the butterfly do not undergo a nymph stage but instead are labeled as holometabolous insects because they undergo a complete metamorphis:
  1.  
  2. -Egg
  3. -Caterpillar
  4. -Chrysalis (pupa)
  5. -Imago (adult butterfly)

 

Some butterflies are known to travel large distance during their life cycle.  It is true for the North American Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) which migrates South to Mexico every winter.
 
 

 
 
The largest butterfly is the largest butterfly in the world is the Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) found in Papua New Guinea.  The female of the specie has a wingspan of 31cm (14 inches).  With such dimension, it carries its name well.  Although highly prized by private collectors who are willing to spend thousands of dollars to acquire such specimens in the black market, the greatest threat to this beautiful insect comes from habitat destruction. 
 
 
 
Ornithoptera alexandrae
 
Description : Ornithoptera alexandrae (Rothschild, 1907)
Source : Robert Nash, Curator of entomology, Ulster Museum
Date : January 2007
Author : Robert Nash
Permission : cc-by-2.5