Lepidoptera

These pretty pink and yellow moths are easily recognizable by their very hairy bodies. The colours vary, however, and there are also pale, almost white, forms. The males are smaller than the females, which have a wingspan of about 5.5 cm. The sexes can also be differentiated by their antennae: feathery on the males, and thinner on the females.

The caterpillars are green with lengthwise stripes. They have two black horns that look like antennae near their cherry red heads. They are up to 5.5 cm long.

The wings of these butterflies are white on top and greenish-yellow beneath, and their bodies are black. The forewings have black tips and round black spots. The males and females can be distinguished by the number of spots on their forewings: the males have one per wing, and the females, two. Both sexes have a single black spot on their hindwings. Their wingspan varies from 3 to 5.8 cm.

The caterpillars are green or blue-green and covered with short, fine hairs. They are up to 3.5 cm long.

This large family consists of small or medium-sized white, yellow or orange butterflies with orange wingtips. They often have dark or red markings on their wings, and spots visible only in ultraviolet light, thought to be used for courtship. With the Papilionidae, these are the only butterflies to have three sets of fully developed functional legs in both sexes.

The Coliadinae subfamily comprises yellow and orange butterflies called sulphurs and orangetips. They often have black-bordered wings. The members of the Pierinae subfamily are generally white with black markings or white with orange-tipped forewings.

This large family consists of small, often very colourful or iridescent butterflies, many of them rare. They have three sets of functional legs, but the first pair is smaller in most of the males. The antennae and eyes are usually ringed with white.

The Lycaenidae can be divided into four subfamilies:
1. Blues (subfamily Polyommatinae) owe their name to the colour of the upper surface of their wings. The females are often darker than the males.
2. Coppers (subfamily Lycaeninae) are orange or brown, with dark markings.
3. Hairstreaks and elfins (subfamily Theclinae) are recognizable by the two or three small tails on their hindwings. Often grey or brown, they have colourful markings on the underside of their wings.
4. Harvesters (subfamily Melitaeinae) are distinguished from other Lycaenidae by their special wing veins.