Lepidoptera

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/lepidoptera

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Lepidoptera
2. What is the estimated species diversity?Over 180,000 described species, with many more likely undiscovered
3. What are butterflies and moths called together?They are called Lepidoptera, a group that includes both butterflies and moths.
4. How do butterflies and moths grow from eggs to flying adults?They go through complete metamorphosis: first an egg, then a caterpillar, then a pupa inside a chrysalis or cocoon, and finally an adult butterfly or moth.

Lepidoptera: The taxonomic order encompassing moths and butterflies, distinguished by their scale-covered wings and holometabolous development.
Holometabolism: A complete metamorphosis involving distinct egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages, allowing for niche differentiation.
Angiosperms: Flowering plants, whose co-evolution with Lepidoptera has profoundly shaped both groups' diversification.
Aposematism: The evolutionary strategy of using conspicuous coloration or patterns to warn predators of toxicity or unpalatability.