Download Glasswing butterfly

Glasswing butterfly
Prepared by : Sara Hany
Greta Oto, the Glass Winged Butterfly
The Greta Oto or the glass-winged butterfly is a butterfly that has attractive transparent wings with an
opaque lining along the edges. It is mainly been found in Mexico and along the panama Islands. A fully
developed adult can easily be seen in the groups when time comes for migration. They have been known
to migrate for long distances as compared to other species of butterflies. When the glass winged butterfly
lays eggs, the caterpillar that later develops from the larva is considered to be toxic. In fact, even a fully
grown butterfly is considered to be toxic.
The Body
The wings of a glass winged butterfly have been estimated to be between 56milimeters to 61 millimeters.
The body of this amazing butterfly is also something intriguing enough to capture even the attention of the
busiest individual. First, it has those elegant translucent wings with edges ranging in color from brown to
red or generally opaque. But the body is completely dark in color. The feature of having colorless wings
seems to have been so distinctive that its Spanish name is Espijitos (also known as Greta Oto) which,
when translated, in English literally means little mirrors.
Resource: http://www.yesiknowthat.com/glass-winged-butterfly/
Habitat
A migratory butterfly, Greta oto is found in virtually all habitats in Costa Rica, including disturbed ones. It
is often spotted passing through open areas, and sometimes visits gardens in the Meseta Central region.
Range
This butterfly is found in Costa Rica on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the country, from 500 to
1,600 m. This glasswing ranges from Mexico to Panama.
National Parks
Guanacaste National Park, Rincón de la Vieja National Park, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Palo
Verde National Park, Carara National Park, Poás Volcano National Park, La Selva Reserve and
Biological Station, Juan Castro Blanco National Park, Irazú Volcano National Park, Chirripó National
Park, and La Amistad International Park.
Physical Description
The glasswing is so named because of its gloriously transparent wings. A brown to reddish-brown border
helps make Greta oto’s wings more visible. The upper part of the forewing also has a white stripe through
the brown region. Glasswings lack the tiny scales on most of their wings that give other butterflies and
moths their colors, so the wings are, literally, see-through. It is very hard for the eye to follow as the
butterfly dodges between understory plants among patches of light and shadow.
These are hard to spot even when the caterpillars are undergoing metamorphosis: they transform into
small pupae with a chrome-silver color that masks them as, perhaps, water glistening in droplets on
stems. These pupae look like small mirrors, which is why they are called espejitos in Costa Rica.
Adults have scaly antennae and an elegantly thin, brown body powering the delicate, clear wings (the
veins in their wings are visible). Males have an additional feature to their wings: on the hind wing is a
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small plume of fine hairs that stay tucked under the overlap of the forewing most of the time. These
become helpful in courtship.
Biology and Natural History
Costa Rica is crisscrossed by migrations of 64 species of glasswings. This species, Greta oto, is one of
the most abundant ones and is spotted more often than some of its relatives. It can be found all year long,
but month to month a population may fluctuate. An individual G. oto may travel as far as 12 km in a single
day while it is migrating.
Diet
The host plants for Greta oto are two species of Cestrum. This glasswing (like others) also will feed on the
droppings from birds that eat insects—by doing this, the glasswing gets amino acids into its diet.
Height/Weight
The average length of a glasswing butterfly is 28 to 30 mm.
Resource: http://www.anywherecostarica.com/flora-fauna/invertebrates/glasswing-butterfly
Glasswing Taxonomy
Here is the full taxonomy of the
glasswing, for anyone that might be
interested:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Greta
Species: Greta oto
RESOURCE:
http://www.squidoo.com/glasswing-thetransparent-butterfly
Butterfly Anatomy
1 - Head
2 - Thorax - legs & abdomen
3 - Wings - venation & scales
4 - Wing scales - scanning electron microscope images
5 - Hearing organs, flight, thermoregulation
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Head
Antennae, eyes, palpi, proboscis
Antennae
From between the eyes emerge a pair of segmented antennae. These can be voluntarily angled at
various positions, and are best thought of as a form of radar. They have many functions
including pheromone detection, which is used for mate location and recognition.
Eyes
Butterflies and most other adult insects have a pair of spherical compound eyes, each comprising of up to
17000 "ommatidia" - individual light receptors with their own microscopic lenses. These work in unison to
produce a mosaic view of the scene around them.
Palpi
Protruding from the front of the head are a pair of small projections called labial palpi, which are covered
in olfactory ( scent detecting ) sensors. Similar sensors are also located on the antennae, thorax,
abdomen and legs.
Proboscis
The proboscis consists of a pair of interlocking C-section channels that when linked together form a tube,
much like a drinking straw. This tube can be coiled up like a spring for storage, or extended to enable the
butterfly to reach deep into flowers to suck up nectar. If the proboscis gets clogged with sticky fluids the 2
sections can be uncoupled and cleaned.
Thorax - legs & abdomen
Thorax
The thorax consists of 3 body segments which are fused together, forming a chitinous cage which
contains the flight muscles, and acts as an anchor point for the legs.
Legs
All adult butterflies have 3 pairs of legs, except in the Nymphalidae and in males of certain other groups,
where the front pair are reduced to brush-like stumps and modified as chemoreceptors.
Abdomen
The abdomen contains the digestive system, breathing apparatus, a long tubular heart. The abdominal
exoskeleton is multi-segmented. Each of the 10 segments is comprised of a ring of a hard material called
chitin. The segments are linked by flexible tissues, allowing the abdomen to bend, a necessity for
copulation and egg-laying.
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Wings - venation & scales
Wings
Venation
All butterflies and moths ( except Plume moths ) have 2
pairs of overlapping wings, each comprised of a very
thin double membrane with rigidity supplied by a
network of tubular veins which radiate from the base of
the wings. The pattern of veins is different for every
genus of butterfly, and is one of the main criteria used
by taxonomists when classifying butterflies.
Scales
The wing membranes are transparent, but are partially
or fully covered in a dust-like layer of tiny coloured scales. Each scale comprises of a flat plate arising
from a single cell on the wing surface.
Hearing organs
Some butterflies, can detect sound, using an "ear" near the base of the underside of their wings. The ear
can only be seen with the aid of a powerful microscope. It takes the form of a funnel shaped sac, covered
with a very thin membrane. This vibrates in response to high frequency sound, and stimulates nerve cells
called scolopidia, which send a message to the butterfly's brain.
Flight
Insect flight evolved at least 90 million years ago, long
before it appeared in birds or bats, so its original function
must have been for something other than predator
avoidance. The most likely explanation is that it evolved to
enable insects to reach food sources by the most direct
and rapid route. What is not currently understood is the
method by which the evolution took place.
Thermo-regulation
Butterflies are cold-blooded. If they are too cold they
cannot fly. If they get too hot they become dehydrated and
die. They have no internal means of regulating their body
temperature, so they need to use behavioral strategies
instead.
Resource: http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Anatomy%203.htm
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