What is the difference between a butterfly and a moth?

Question

Are they both from the same family, phylum. Can they interbreed and if so what is the hybrid called - Butteroth? Motfly?

Answer 1

THEY are spelt differently!
but I will ask my father-in-law, who is an entomologist.
NO they cannot inter-breed 'naturally'

Answer 2

Butterflies generally have slender antennae whereas moths have ones which appear fluffy. Also butterflies are diurnal (day-active) and moths are nocturnal (night-active). This usually means that butterflies are brightly coloured while moths are brown, colour after all is usless at night when you can't see it.

Both have four wings but hold them differently at rest. Butterflies hold their wings up in a way which displays all four wings. Moths however place their wings down across the body thus hiding the underwing.

Differences usually extend into the larval stage (caterpillar). Normally a butterfly caterpillar is smooth while a moth caterpillar is hairy. This also shows the different methods of defence used by each. Smooth caterpillars are either superbly camouflaged or, in the case of poisonous butterflies, brightly coloured since poison is distributed through the entire body. Hairy moth caterpillars have poison in the hairs which stick in the attacker meaning they are not pleasant to pick up.

Answer 3

The most obvious difference is in the feelers, or antennae. Most butterflies have thin slender filamentous antennae which are club shaped at the end. Moths, on the other hand, often have comb-like or feathery antennae, or filamentous and unclubbed. Most moths are nocturnal or crepuscular while most butterflies are diurnal. There are however exceptions, including the diurnal Gypsy moth and the spectacular "Uraniidae" or Sunset moths.

Answer 4

Butterflies have 4 wings, and moths have 2. If you look at a butterfly wing, you'll see that it's actually made of 2 wings that overlap in the middle.
Another way of telling is that butterflies tend to have their wings up and closed when they are sitting still, whereas moths sit with their wings down and open.

Answer 5

Butterfly: any of numerous diurnal insects of the order Lepidoptera, characterized by clubbed antennae, a slender body, and large, broad, often conspicuously marked wings

Moth: any of numerous insects of the order Lepidoptera, generally distinguished from the butterflies by having feathery antennae and by having crepuscular or nocturnal habits.

Answer 6

Butterflies usually have better fashion sense, although some of the moths have very nice evening wear.

Answer 7

a butterfly differs from the moth in having club-like swelling on the ends of the antennae and in its habit of folding the wing vertically when at rest

Answer 8

Moths are typically night creatures, while butterflies are day creatures. I think they are also divided based on ear and body structures.

Answer 9

ones pretty and one loves headlights.......