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Butterflies have always filled men with wonder. The most ancient testimonies of their existence are found in amber from Lebanon, which dates back from 100 million years. Like grasshoppers and beetles, butterflies descend from mecopteras, also known as scorpion-flies, who used to fly in prehistoric fern forests. There are 127 families and around 165,000 registered species. Despite a large variety of shapes and colours, they all share the same structure. Their body, protected by an articulated shell, consists of a head, thorax and abdomen.
Two pairs of membrane wings, attached to the thorax, are complemented by three pairs of legs, which are mainly used as landing gear. The main sensory organs are located on the head. During the flight, butterflies mainly rely on sight and smell in order to guide themselves. Two compound eyes are sensitive to the colours of flowers and to the movements of their predators. The two antennas, which may also be articulated, act as sensors for flower fragrances and female odours.
In general, male day butterflies have more vivid colours than females. Male night butterflies have larger antennas. As for females, whose abdomen is heavier because of the eggs they carry, they are bigger than males. For mating, males and females communicate through visual, olfactory and auditory signals.
The species that is depicted on the above stamp, Hypolimnas bolina, of the Nymphalidae family, is found in Madagascar, South-East Asia, including New Zealand, Singapore and Polynesia (hypolimanes bolina otaheitae).
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| Unit price: 150 FCFP (1,26 €) |
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