Scientists who study butterflies. ✴“Lepidopterology is the name of the science of butterflies”✴. These mysterious and undeniably beautiful creatures are a source of poetic inspiration and have become the heroes of many myths and legends.

These mysterious and undeniably beautiful creatures are a source of poetic inspiration and have become the heroes of many myths and legends.

1. Butterflies belong to one of the largest groups of insects - Lepidoptera. In addition to these creatures, this group also includes moths and moths. At the moment, Lepidoptera have about 157,000 species of insects.

2. These unique creatures are the second largest pollinators after bees.

3. The science that studies butterflies is called lepidopterology.

4. The largest night butterfly is Attacus aitas. Its wingspan is about 30 cm and it is often confused with a bird.

5. The most enduring butterfly in the world has the name "Monarch". She can cover a distance of a thousand kilometers without stopping.

6. The maximum speed that this little creature can reach is 12 miles per hour, but there are species that reach the mark of 50 km / h (31 miles per hour).

7. The most amazing fact about these creatures is that butterflies need the warmth of the sun in order to fly.

8.4 Butterfly wings are covered with scales, which are sacs with transparent ribbed walls. After a careless touch, they fall off me, and the wings look faded.

In fact, butterfly wings are transparent. The scales that cover the wing simply reflect sunlight and thus give themselves color. In the rarest cases, scales in a butterfly are present in very small quantities or are completely absent.

9. The life cycle of these creatures consists of four phases: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and imago (butterfly).

Eggs can have various shapes: from spherical and round to cylindrical and angular. It depends on the type of butterfly.

10. An interesting fact: a butterfly lays its offspring in one place for many years in a row.

11. Butterflies never sleep.

12. In some Asian and South American countries, butterflies are considered a delicacy!

13. The most complex organ of these amazing creatures is the eyes. They are made up of 6,000 tiny pieces called lenses.

14. The only continent where Lepidoptera do not live is Antarctica.

15. Butterflies are ancient creatures. Their images are present on Egyptian frescoes, which are more than 3.5 thousand years old.

16. Taste buds in butterflies are on the paws, i.e. standing on the plant, they can taste it.

17. Butterflies are one of the most common objects for collecting among the most famous people in the world, such as: Nabokov, Rothschild, Bulgakov, Mavrodi.

18. The period in which the butterfly lays eggs lasts only a few days, but one individual can lay more than a thousand eggs.

19. Basically, all caterpillars live on land, but there is also a species of water caterpillars called broad-winged moths.

20. Basically, most butterflies have a short life - only a few days. However, there are specimens with a rather long life cycle: the Brixton butterfly is a long-liver, its cycle lasts up to 10 months.

21. There is more than one species of these insects in the world, which can rightfully be considered the rarest. One of them is the sailboat of Queen Alexandra - the largest butterfly on the planet.

It is possible to find it only on the territory of Papua New Guinea and thanks to collectors, this species is on the verge of complete extinction.

22. Many butterflies have earned a place in the Red Book only because of their incredibly beautiful color, and some of these creatures are pests for crops.

23. There are several species of these beautiful creatures that do not eat at all during the entire imago cycle (the last stage of life). Such individuals live due to the energy accumulated during the period when the butterfly was still a caterpillar.

24. In Russian, the word "butterfly" is derived from the word "woman", since our ancestors believed that all witches become butterflies after death.

25. The Blue Dwarf is rightfully considered the smallest butterfly in the world, with a wingspan of only 1.4 cm.

26. In the tropical forests of the New and Old Worlds, there is a species of butterflies whose males feed on the tears of animals.

27. Butterflies are myopic!

28. These creatures can even distinguish colors, however, not all of them. Each species sees some of its shades. So, for example, cabbage sees red, but satire does not distinguish it at all.

29. Peru and one Indian state, Sikkim, are considered the richest in the diversity of Lepidoptera species.

30. It turns out that the secret of the butterfly is hidden precisely in its scales on the wings. They maintain the temperature balance, and also increase the airworthiness.

31. The proboscis of a butterfly is a modified lower jaw that has been transformed into a sucking organ. But the butterfly caterpillar has rather strong jaws, thanks to which it can chew solid food.

32. The most common butterfly in Russia and Siberia is the Peacock eye. Due to its original pattern, it is difficult to confuse it with any other: the upper part of the wing has a cherry-brown color and a spot in the form of an eye, which is characteristic of this species, while the bottom is completely black-brown.

33. Butterflies are twilight creatures. Only some members of this group of insects are diurnal. Butterflies feed on nectar and other plant secretions containing sugar.

These creatures of incredible beauty at all times amaze people with their incredible variety of colors, bizarre shapes and intricate patterns. Butterflies are born in order to die, giving life to a new generation before that.

✴“Lepidopterology is the name of the science of butterflies” ///from the Internet/✴

Butterflies are born to die, giving life to a new generation. Most of them live only a few days, with the exception of the Monarch butterfly, which can live up to six months.

“We wouldn’t consider them so beautiful if they didn’t fly. Or if they flew straight and fast like bees. Or if they bite" /Primo Levi/

Butterflies are the second largest pollinators after bees. Today on the globe there are about 165,000 species of butterflies, and every year entomologists make new discoveries.

Butterflies taste food by standing on it. This is because their taste sensors are in their feet.

Butterfly flight speed sometimes exceeds 60 km/h. The fastest flight of butterflies of the hawk family.

Scientists have found that the first night butterflies appeared about 250 million years ago, while day butterflies are only 40 million years old. Many of these winged insects, similar to modern ones, lived on our planet already 30-40 million years ago.

The largest night butterfly in the world is Attacus Atlas. With a wingspan of 30 cm, it is often mistaken for a bird.

Among all 165,000 Lepidoptera species known to us, the smallest is Stigmella ridiculosa, which lives in the Canary Islands. The wingspan and body length are about 2 mm.

Some butterflies pretend to be dead when attacked by predators.

Butterflies possess amazing ability find "spouses" at large distances, given their small size. And, as a rule, this distance reaches several kilometers.

If in Europe they only enjoy the beauty of butterflies, then in China, South America and India they know how to cook and eat with pleasure.

Butterflies can't hear, but they can sense vibration, which works better when they need to hide from predators.

Several species claim the title of the rarest butterfly, including the largest of all butterflies - the sailboat (or birdwing) of Queen Alexandra. She lives in papua new guinea. Unfortunately, this butterfly has been hunted too actively by collectors, so it is on the verge of extinction.

Moth The desert yucca (yucca moth) is the sole pollinator of flowering yucca cacti. Pollination occurs in the following way. A butterfly collects pollen from one cactus in its mouth and carries it to another cactus, flying to the smell of flowers. Upon arrival, she unerringly unloads pollen in the right place to set seeds. Here, the butterfly lays three eggs, and its caterpillars feed on cactus seeds, which were formed as a result of pollination. They eat a small fraction of the seeds, most of the seeds are preserved and give life to new plants.

Among moth butterflies (Pyralididae) there are those that feed on animal food, and some of them have adaptations to living in aquatic environment they are able to live underwater. Only the Dead Head hawk moth (Acherontia atropos) has a special “speech” organ located in the pharynx. This butterfly, with anxiety or a sense of danger, can squeak.

Some butterflies never eat because they don't have a mouth. They live on the energy they have accumulated in the form of caterpillars.

Butterflies have an amazing appetite, some of them can drink a sugar solution in an amount that exceeds their own weight twice.

Present among butterflies, as an exception, are predators, for example, Calyptra eustrigata, which live from India to Malaysia. These butterflies feed on the blood of animals, piercing their covers with a sharp proboscis, while females feed on the juice of fruits and plants.

Antarctica is the only continent on which Lepidoptera were not found.

Material of the id104 team Endemics - creative tour of the pre-school educational institution in Biology 2007 "Unfamiliar Biology"

Nice word? A lepidopterist is a person who studies butterflies. The name of the profession, like the word lepidopterology - the science of butterflies, comes from the Latin lepidoptera - butterfly. Lepidopterologists are interested in the biology of Lepidoptera, their physiology, definition, taxonomy and other features of representatives of this order of insects. Often lepidopterists combine their work with the profession of ecologist, geographer or ornithologist. A person who is simply fond of butterflies is called a lepidopterist. To become a lepidopterist, you need to graduate from the biological faculty of a university and work at the department of entomology.

Another scientist - Ershov, Nikolai Grigorievich - Russian lepidopterologist, b. April 23, 1837 in Moscow, died March 12, 1896 in St. Petersburg, .; received his secondary education in St. Petersburg., at the request of his father, he remained a merchant, but attended lectures on zoology and chemistry at the Medico-Surgical Academy and worked at the Zoological Museum of Imp. acad. Sciences. While still at the boarding school, under the guidance of Menetrie, he studied mainly Russian Lepidoptera. Ershov is known for having collected one of the best collections on butterflies, most of which he brought as a gift to the Zoological Museum of Imp. acad. Sciences. E. took an active part in the affairs of the Russian Entomological Society. Of the numerous scientific works of E. deserve special attention: "Catalogue of Lepidoptera Russian Empire"(Together with Field, St. Petersburg, 1869); "Journey to Turkestan A.P. Fedchenko. Lepidoptera" (M., 1874).

On the Internet there is a Gallery of Russian lepidopterologists and neighboring countries: http://jugan2.narod.ru/index.html, where you can meet colleagues and like-minded people.

Few people know, but Vladimir Nabokov was not only a writer, but also a lepidopterist, and in his books he rather harshly assessed the state of science about butterflies in Russia and abroad. Nabokov's butterflies are mentioned in the books "The Gift" and "Other Shores". He criticizes the other famous writer Aksakov for the book he wrote "Collecting Butterflies", but in the opinion of Yu. P. Korshunov (another of our lepidopterologists) is unreasonable. The very fact of the existence of criticism regarding books about butterflies between writers shows that this is an exciting and popular hobby concerns not only specialist entomologists, eccentrics like Paganel Jules Verne, but also many other people.

In Other Shores, Nabokov writes of Russian lepidopterology as "an almost non-existent<…>under the Soviets. In fact, there were no grounds for such a dull conclusion. In addition to the popular science publications mentioned above, since the 18th century materials were regularly published in Russia under the auspices of the Academy of Sciences, the Moscow Society of Naturalists was very active, then the Russian Entomological Society. Vladimir Nabokov was aware of these publications, wrote about it, but believed that 1917 had stopped everything.

Naturally, the years of devastation affected the business, but the specialists and the main collections were preserved. And just in the 20-30s there was a special surge for many publications, especially applied ones. Keys were published for general and for individual groups of insects, the series "Fauna of Russia" and further "Fauna of the USSR". On the basis of the Zoological Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, research on Lepidoptera continued and developed. Great specialists N. Ya. Kuznetsov, N. N. Filipiev, A. A. Yakhontov, P. P. Sushkin, S. S. Chetverikov, V. and I. Kozhanchikov, A. S. Danilevsky and others worked quite actively, using a variety of techniques, including the most advanced. Aksakovskoe "Collecting butterflies" new life received in 1938, when the publishing house "Children's Literature" published the book "Butterflies": "abbreviated and processed for children of younger and middle age, the story of S. T. Aksakov "Collecting Butterflies" (afterword and captions to the tables by N. N. Plavilshchikov, drawings in the text of G. Orlov. Pages 88 and 15 color tables, circulation 25.300 copies"). Unfortunately, this and other books about butterflies (A. A. Yakhontov "Our Daytime Butterflies", M. Uchpedgiz, 1935; S. D. Lavrov "Our Caterpillars", M. Uchpedgiz, 1938) were prevented from serving properly by the war.

The years of war, the years of denial of genetics, of course, affected business, as did poor funding, poor printing, but enthusiasts did not translate into Rus'. At present, lepidopterology continues to develop, new books, atlases and albums dedicated to Lepidoptera are published annually in the world and all more people enjoys studying these amazing, gentle creatures.

Why? Because butterflies are simply very beautiful.

when creating the article, information from Wikipedia, dictionaries and reference books on biology was also used (was previously read :)),

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What is lepidopterology?

What a difficult word! You will break your tongue while you speak. This is the strange name of the science of butterflies. And scientists - specialists in butterflies - are called lepidopterologists.

Butterfly Science! Are they worth starting a whole science about them? But listen.

Scientists of all countries have been studying butterflies for a long time. Others give butterflies years, or even a lifetime.

And here's what's interesting: not only lepidopterists are involved in them, but also people working in a field that seems to be very far from butterflies. Did you know that the famous chemist Butlerov and academic physiologist Pavlov were lovers and collectors of butterflies?

Butterflies are studied in different ways: some sit in laboratories over microscopes, while others travel around the world in search of the desired species. They wander, exposing their lives to dangers - after all, the real kingdom of butterflies is the wilds of Indonesia, the forests of the Amazon, central Africa. But why should they be studied anyway?

According to the science of butterflies, among them there are many of our true friends who give us silk and flakes, pollinate useful plants, enlivening our gardens, fields, forests and mountains with their beautiful wings.

Among the butterflies there are many of our sworn enemies, destroying our crops, destroying our gardens and orchards.

Do we need to know the lifestyle of our friends in order to help them? Necessary!

Is it necessary to know the habits of our enemies in order to successfully fight them? Necessary!

But that is not all!

A scientist-geographer will look at a different butterfly and say: - Now it's clear to me. These two islands once formed one whole: the same butterflies fly on them.

The climatologist will look and exclaim: - Here is another proof! The Arctic is getting warmer. southern views butterflies move north.

The aircraft designer will look: - It is necessary to create aircraft with fluttering wings. Butterfly plane.

The artist will look, he will be delighted: - What a wonderful drawing! It should be used for coloring fabrics.

Look ... but, perhaps, that's enough. You already understood that butterflies need to be studied.

And there are a lot of butterflies. Butterfly science says there are 130,000 of them. different types on our planet. And there are few lepidopterologists.

And here amateurs work to help them - collectors of butterflies. People of all ages and occupations, schoolchildren, students devote their leisure time to a wonderful pastime - collecting butterflies.

Here I am, collecting butterflies for forty years. I have a large collection of butterflies: several thousand of them are placed in boxes with glass lids. Under each butterfly is a label; on it is small but clearly written the place and date of the capture of the insect. This label is the butterfly's passport. It gives it scientific value.

Butterfly catching is a kind of sport. Where have I not been with a net in my hands! And in the tundra of Siberia, and in the desert Central Asia, and in the steppes, and in the mountains. There were funny incidents with me, but there were also dangerous adventures.

When I am out of town, every butterfly excursion turns into an interesting crowded expedition. Time flies... Some of the guys who helped me with fishing have already graduated from the university and have become real lepidopterologists, there are those who are still studying at school, but are already seriously preparing to enter the biological faculty in order to study the science of butterflies and explore their numerous kingdom.

In conclusion, I will quote the words of the zoologist-geneticist Sergei Sergeevich Chetverikov. He wrote to me a month before his death:

“How willingly I would go again now, despite my 78 years, to a new area, so that at the end of my life, at least once again, experience the excitement from which you choke when you first go fishing in a new unfamiliar area, promising unseen and not caught before butterflies…”

I can fully confirm his words.

Many are interested in the question of who is an entomologist. Is it a profession or rather a vocation? After all, it is difficult to imagine a person who makes a living by catching and then studying insects. It is also important how relevant in modern world this specialty. Especially considering the fact that every year the range, and with it the population of insects, is rapidly declining.

Let's start with what does the profession of an entomologist mean? First of all, this is a scientist who is impeccably versed in various types of insects, knows their habits and habitats.

How to become an entomologist?

Naturally, you can master this science on your own by reading books about insects, as well as studying the works published in scientific publications. But it will turn out to become only an amateur entomologist, because to get a real position you need a diploma.

Profession entomologist: what does this specialist do?

In general, this profession can be divided into two large groups: general and applied. And although they are both derivatives of the same science, the difference in their application is very great.

General entomology is the study of all insects without exception. Experts in this field travel to all corners of the world in order to look for new species of beetles, monitor the population of butterflies, catalog endangered subspecies of dragonflies, and so on. There are also scientists dedicated to general entomology. These are pioneers in the world of insects, whose main desire is the knowledge of everything new.

But an entomologist is a many-sided profession, as proof of this, its practical direction. The specialists of this group are engaged in the study of insect pests, as well as the development of methods to combat them. Including with ticks and mosquitoes, which are carriers of many infections.

Relevance on the labor market

Where to look for work for those who deserve it honorary title entomologist? This profession is not very popular, so a lot depends on the place of residence, region, as well as the narrow specialty that a person received at a university.

In particular, general entomologists are better off looking for a position at an institute or university where they can devote themselves entirely to the study of insects. Having gained experience, you can compete for a place in a research center, which will open up an even wider range of opportunities for a scientist (including business trips abroad).

In addition, entomologists are needed in disinfection services, whose duties include the destruction of pests. Also good specialist can always count on a place in agricultural sector, because their knowledge of methods of protecting crops from insects is highly valued there.