#Order: Lepidoptera

[haveyouseenthisanimal-irl]

Range: Queensland (Australia)

[thedaemonarchivist]

Hey. Hey. Monarch butterfly analysis.

The MONARCH BUTTERFLY (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly with distinctive black and orange wings. Monarch butterflies are highly extroverted and group-orientated, likely uncomfortable when alone, but not particularly fainthearted. These butterflies migrate huge distances and can survive highly destructive weather events, making them hardy, resilient, and adaptable. The monarch uses toxins as a passive defense against predators: these butterflies are heavily conflict avoidant, fairly passive, compliant and compromising, tolerant, and docile. Tactile setae on the monarch's body are used in orientation during flight and to differentiate between plants: monarch butterflies are hands-on, tactile and practical at heart. These butterflies are fickle, curious and highly impulsive, but not particularly devoted, with a tendency to wander from their breeding or food habitat. Sensitive and aware, monarch butterflies are strongly perceptive, attuned to both regular seasonal changes and subtle mating cues. These animals strive to maintain control of themselves and are straight-forward and honest, somewhat disloyal, cautious, wary, and not likely to be manipulative.

The WHITE MONARCH (Danaus plexippus plexippus) is a rare, greyish white colour morph of the monarch butterfly: these butterflies are mildly more avoidant, flighty and disloyal.

[professionalunprofessional]

A Tawny Emperor!

[andromeda-collective]

i keep mixing up leporidae and lepidoptera so fuck it im combining them

leporptera

[thewisecheerio]

Elden Ring Caterpillars

It's Elden Ring, but every character is a caterpillar. STARRING...

Ranni the Witch as Pseudosiobla excavata

Praetor Rykard as Phyllodes imperialis

General Radahn as Orgyia Vetusta

Mohg, Lord of Blood as Citheronia Phoronea

Morgott the Grace Given as Troides helena

Post-black knives Godwyn the Golden as Brahmaea wallichii

https://australianbutterflies.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Picture1-1.png

Malenia, Goddess of Rot as this unidentified Saturniid (Automeris, species unknown)

Miquella the Unalloyed as Apatelodes torrefacta (they also come in a pale gold!)

Messmer the Impaler as Eacles imperialis

Melina, Kindling Maiden as Pyrrharctia isabella

Queen Marika the Eternal as Euploea midamus

Radagon of the Golden Order as Hyles lineata

https://allofnature.blogspot.com/2013/10/white-lined-sphinx-moth-and-caterpillar.html

Fia the Deathbed Companion as Citheronia brissotti

The Loathsome Dungeater as Rhanidophora ridens

Goldmask as Estigmene acrea

https://bugguide.net/node/view/988678

Miriel, Pastor of Vows as Charadra deridens

The post that inspired it all, The Elden Beast as Eudocima phalonia

https://www.reddit.com/r/Eldenring/comments/uey6s1/the_common_fruit_moth_caterpillar_looks_a_bit/

[witchstone]

mocker swallowtail (papilio dardanus) in the vegetable patch at a family friend's house

[moss-and-bugs]

Zabulon Skipper (Lon zabulon)

Schiller Woods - Chicago, IL - May 15th, 2024

I find members of this family (Family Hesperiidae) so fascinating the way their wings are shaped is so interesting and unique I feel like you wouldn't assume that they're butterflies at first

[supercantaloupe]

Oh oh also!!! patron saint of identifying insects perhaps? Soups/stews and insect identification !

omg that's so fun. i would LOVE to be a master at insect ID

[ask meme]

[batslime]

“ive got enough going on rn i need to finish what ive started” five mins later:

[haveyouseenthisanimal-irl]

[biomejumblesale]

Some little dudes I’ve seen at work recently (thumb for scale)

[professionalunprofessional]

An Asian Lady Beetle and Gulf Fritillary larvae!

[wackywatchdotcom]

to me kingers like oh i think butterflies are nice :) i know a few of them... lepidopteras the butterflies and moths right? i like beetles and ants theyre nice... and then queenies whipping out entomologist language. starts talking to kinger and is like oh the bmsbs and leps and acronyms n shortenings n other stuff that i dont know abt and kingers nodding but so confused

what intrigues me is how kinger and queenie are written by people who clearly dont know a lot about entomology

[moss-and-bugs]

Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)

Schiller Woods - Chicago, IL - May 15th, 2024

I gotta be honest its eyes kinda freak me out haha. This butterfly also prefers food sources such as tree sap, dung, rotting fruit, and carcasses. A weird little guy for sure haha.

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Frother Moths (Genus Amerila): when these moths feel threatened, they secrete a frothy yellow substance from the glands on their thorax, producing chemicals that are distasteful to predators

Above: Amerila astreus

Moths of the genus Amerila are commonly known as "frother moths," because they can produce a pungent, unpalatable froth in order to deter predators. A distinctive "sizzling" or "hissing" sound is also emitted as the frothy substance bubbles out.

Above: Amerila crokeri, commonly known as Croker's frother moth (top), and Amerila rubripes, also known as Walker's frother moth (bottom)

The substance, which has a bright yellow or orange appearance, is secreted from the prothoracic glands located near the base of each wing, just behind the moth's eyes.

As this article explains:

If molested, resting adults produce quantities of a frothy, orange fluid from their prothoracic glands, accompanied by a sizzling sound. The froth not only has an aversive odor to humans but also contains PAs [pyrrolozidine alkaloids] which are likely taste-repelling. This phenomenon applies to all the Amerila and has been recorded from other Arctiids including Creatonotos.

Above: close-up of Amerila crokeri secreting its bright yellow froth

The adult moths are pharmacophagous, obtaining the aversive chemicals that are used to create their froth by ingesting plants that contain toxic/noxious compounds. Those compounds are then sequestered within the moth's body, where they are repurposed as a defensive secretion.

Above: Amerila astreus

The genus Amerila contains dozens of documented species, all of which are known to possess this defense mechanism. They are widely distributed throughout many different parts of the world; depending on the species, they can be found in the Himalayas, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, Australia, or Central/Southern Africa.

Above: Amerila crokeri

Sources & More Info:

Metamorphosis Australia: The Australian Arctiid Moths

Metamorphosis Australia: Weird and Wonderful Moths

Australian Lepidoptera: Amerila crokeri

Entomo Brasilis: Defensive Froth in Arctiidae Species in the Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil (PDF)

Moths of Australia: Adult Adaptations for Survival

Advances in Insect Chemical Ecology: The Curious Relationship Between Tiger Moths and Plants Containing Pyrrolozidine Alkaloids (PDF)

Neotropical Entomology: A Fieldwork-Oriented Review and Guide to PA-Pharmacophagy

[odd-chips]

Third chunk of the [Weretober] prompts where Tim keeps flying and diving. Like he's straight up going to get the bends with how much he goes into the air and then back underwater for real.

Also fun fact: Tim was originally supposed to be a werelion when I [originally made him]! (The joke was going to be he was the lion-tamer AND the lion HILKJFDL) So I think this is a fun look into an alternate world where he actually was!

(Prompts #15-22 in order: Cerberus -> Lion -> Crocodilian -> Rat -> Lepidoptera -> Hammerhead -> Shoebill -> Eel + Bonus Sketches under cut)

Okay the word "sketches" is doing a lot of heavy lifting this time around because it's ALL thumbnails!

Pencil sketch alternate poses for Lionman (I went through a LOT, there was a struggle HKLJMKLFDL):

Thumbnails for alternate poses for Sharkman:

And thumbnails for alternate poses for Eelman (I actually REALLY liked both, and I honestly feel the first is more of Ratman's style. I chose the second one instead cause I knew it'd be easier to structure visually!):