First US Case of Human-Led Insect Extinction Confirmed by DNA From 93-Year-Old Butterfly
The Xerces blue butterfly was last seen flapping its iridescent periwinkle wings in San Francisco in the early 1940s. It’s generally accepted to be extinct,…
Butterflies
Researchers Investigate Newly Introduced Butterfly That Could Become Widespread in Canada
This summer, if you see a butterfly with wings that are blue on top with orange spots underneath, you may have crossed paths with a…
Butterflies Cross the Vast Sahara Desert in Longest-Known Insect Migration
Weather conditions shown to have big influence on migration numbers. A species of butterfly found in Sub-Saharan Africa is able to migrate thousands of miles…
Scientists See the Invisible: How Butterflies Make Transparent Wings
Many animals have evolved camouflage tactics for self-defense, but some butterflies and moths have taken it even further: They’ve developed transparent wings, making them almost…
Anti-Aphrodisiac: Male Butterflies Mark Their Mates With Repulsive Smell During Sex to “Turn Off” Other Suitors
Butterflies have evolved to produce a strongly scented chemical in their genitals that they leave behind after sex to deter other males from pursuing their…
Mystery of Alfred Wallace’s Butterfly Is Finally Solved Over a Century Later
Described by the ‘father of zoogeography’ and co-author of the theories of evolution and natural selection, the species hasn’t been reexamined since 1866. An over…
Incredible High-Speed Video Shows How Armor on Butterfly Wings Protects Against Heavy Rain
An analysis of high-speed raindrops hitting biological surfaces such as feathers, plant leaves and insect wings reveals how these highly water-repelling veneers reduce the water’s…
Optical Illusion Created by Butterflies’ Wing Scales Is Secret to Ultra-Black, Lightweight Materials
Some butterflies have ultra-black wings that rival the blackest materials made by humans, using wing scales that are only a fraction as thick — here’s…
Nanostructures and Living Cells in Butterfly Wings Could Inspire Radiative-Cooling Materials & Advanced Flying Machines
Researchers discover that butterflies have specialized behaviors and wing scales to protect the living parts of their wings; nanostructures found in the wing scales could…
Is Evolution Predictable? Important Implications for the Way We Undertand Life on Earth
An international team of scientists working with Heliconius butterflies at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama was faced with a mystery: How do…
Scientists Discover Why Climate Change Is Threatening Some British Butterflies
Scientists have discovered why climate change may be contributing to the decline of some British butterflies and moths, such as Silver-studded Blue and High Brown…
New Comprehensive Map of How Butterflies Are Related to Each Other
For hundreds of years, butterfly collecting has often inspired a special kind of fanaticism, spurring lengthy expeditions, sparking rivalries and prompting some collectors to risk…
New Butterfly Species Discovered in South Russia
What looked like a population of a common butterfly species turned out to be a whole new organism, and, moreover – one with a very…
Black Butterfly Enhances Photovoltaic Light Absorption Up to 200 Percent
New research focuses on the wings of the black butterfly (Pachliopta aristolochiae), which are covered by micro- and nanostructured scales that harvest sunlight over a…
Butterflies That Expend The Most Energy Live The Longest
The more energy a creature uses, the more free radicals and other unstable, cell-damaging molecules its body produces. In many cases this can shorten the…
Fukushima Disaster Caused Butterflies to Mutate
The Fukushima disaster seems to have caused three generations of butterflies near the nuclear plant to mutate. This has raised fears that it could affect…
Female Butterflies Prefer Flashier Mates
A new study from evolutionary biologists at Yale University examined the butterfly species Bicyclus anynana and their mating patterns, finding that female butterflies of the…
Butterfly Research Reveals Genetic Sharing from Hybridization
While studying the genome of the Postman butterfly and examining the genetic makeup of two other closely related butterfly species, a team of international researchers…