Taxonomy is tricky. Moths and butterflies make up the insect order Lepidoptera. But… just like technically wolves and coyotes are already dogs (canids = dogs-ish I guess?), butterflies are just a type of moth. A very, very small group of insects in a gigantic, humungous, incomprehensibly more diverse order of insects. Allow me to demonstrate.
POP QUIZ! QUICK! FIND THE MOTH!
Got it? Good. Here’s the answer key (NO PEEKING BEFORE SPOTTING IT YOURSELF!).
From Left to right: TOP: Painted Lichen Moth, Moonseed Moth, Beautiful Tiger (moth), Grote’s Buckmoth (endangered) BOTTOM: Eubaphe unicolor (moth), Eight-spotted Forester (moth), Ailanthus Webworm Moth, Chickweed Geometer Moth
Wait… ALL OF THEM ARE MOTHS? Of course they are. There are so few butterflies in the giant sea of moths, it’s amazing you even notice them!
Okay, okay fine. That one was tricky (or was it?). Here’s another.
AGAIN! QUICK! FIND THE MOTH!
Easier this time, right? Let’s see how you did! (NO CHEATING)
From Left to Right: TOP: Checkered Skipper, Soldier Pansy, Funereal Duskywing, Dotted Checkerspot (endangered) BOTTOM: Texas Powdered Skipper, Tawny Emperor, Reakirt’s Blue, Fatal Metalmark
Wait… so which one is the moth? NONE OF THEM THESE ARE BUTTERFLIES. “What do you mean these are butterflies, they are boring?!” Shut up I love them. “But moths are supposed to be the boring ones!” Shut up moths are cooler than a T-rex with a mohawk riding a skateboard.
Left: Eggplant Leafroller Moth, caterpillars live on plants; Right: Jalisco Petrophila Moth, caterpillars are aquatic and grow up in freshwater and the adult female moths will swim into the water to lay her eggs GUYS SHE IS A MOTH!!!!!! Also: they are jumping spider mimics! Look!
When we imagine a spider’s diet, the seemingly infinite buffet of the class Insecta is what leaps to mind. But, in a natural world full of surprises, of course, there are exceptions to the rule. Bagheera kiplingi, a species of jumping spider seemingly desperate to be unique, has ditched its carnivorous diet for a (mostly) vegetarian lifestyle.
This animal’s selected treats are “Beltian bodies”, swollen masses rich in sugars, proteins and lipids, readily available on the tips of the Acacia tree leaves that the veggie jumping spider calls home. The meals are by no means a freebie however, certain ant species have developed a symbiotic relationship with the Acacia and will fiercely defend their beltian banquet. Fortunately, Bagheera’s nimble acrobatic leaps means it mostly cares not for it’s annoying nibbly rivals.
On vegetarianism, Bagheera kiplingi sees no point to absolutism, and will happily make a snack of any ant larvae it stumbles across. Faced with harsh times these critters will go as far as cannibalising each other.
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Plume de Lynx 