Papilionoidea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Papilionoidea
Kamehameha
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Suborder:	Ditrysia
Superfamily:	Papilionoidea Latreille, 1802
(unranked):	Rhopalocera
Families
Papilionidae Pieridae Nymphalidae Lycaenidae Riodinidae

The superfamily Papilionoidea (from the genus Papilio, meaning "butterfly") has all the butterflies except for the skippers, which are in the superfamily Hesperioidea, and the moth-like Hedyloidea.

The members of the Papilionoidea may be distinguished by the following combination of characters:

• The body is smaller and less moth-like.
• The wings are larger.
• The antennae are straight and clubbed or hooked as in the skippers.
• The caterpillars do not spin cocoons in which to pupate.
• The pupae are angular rather than rounded.

Families of Papilionoidea

Brush-footed butterfly of subfamily Charaxinae

The five families of Papilionoidea are:

• Swallowtails and Birdwings, Papilionidae
• Whites or Yellow-Whites, Pieridae
• Blues and Coppers or Gossamer-Winged Butterflies, Lycaenidae
• Metalmark butterflies, Riodinidae
• Brush-footed butterflies, Nymphalidae which contain the following 13 subfamilies:
  • the snout butterflies or Libytheinae (formerly the family Libytheidae).
  • the Danaids or Danainae (formerly the family Danaidae).
  • the Tellervinae.
  • the glasswings or Ithomiinae.
  • the Calinaginae.
  • the morphos and owls or Morphinae (including the owls as tribe Brassolini).
  • the Browns or Satyrinae (formerly the family Satyridae).
  • the Charaxinae (preponas and leaf butterflies).
  • the Biblidinae.
  • the Apaturinae.
  • the nymphs or Nymphalinae.
  • the Limenitidinae (especially the adelphas) (formerly the family Limenitididae).
  • the tropical longwings or Heliconiinae.