moths, for you specialists, what is their function and are they the only ones attracted to light ?

Question

I am just curious about an anology, so I want to know what the functions of moths are, not what they look like. What is their "job here on earth" and what makes them different than butterflies, as if you were going to refer to an anology, when would you use "moth" and when would you use "butterfly". thanks so much. My wings are singed.

Answer 1

I'm no moth specialist, but I can find my way around wikipedia.

The job of moths seems to be pollinating night-blooming flowers, who can't rely on those day-flying bees.

Oddly enough, moths are sort of butterfly leftovers. If you're a Lepidoptera and you're not a butterfly, then you're a moth. Every rule that has been given to differentiate butterflys from moths has exceptions -- there are some butterflies who group with the moths and vice versa. In general, though, butterflies have slender antennae, lack cocoons, are brighter colored and slenderer and hang around during the day rather than the night.

In fact, in looks to me that moths are those unfortunates who don't get the nod from Simon Cowell-like taxonomists and are thrown out of "Leipdopteran Idol."

A butterfly is a moth with a good press agent.

(Most insects navigate using light; you can get insects of all sorts to leave a room by darkening it and opening a bright door or window.)

Answer 2

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly. Both are of the order Lepidoptera. The division of Lepidopterans into moths and butterflies is a popular taxonomy, not a scientific one. Sometimes the names "Rhopalocera" (butterflies) and "Heterocera" (moths) are used to formalize the popular distinction. Many attempts have been made to subdivide the Lepidoptera into groups such as the Microlepidoptera and Macrolepidoptera, Frenatae and Jugatae, or Monotrysia and Ditrysia. Failure of these names to persist in modern classifications is due to the fact none of them represents a pair of "monophyletic groups". The reality is that butterflies are a small group that arose from within the "moths," and there is thus no way to group all of the remaining taxa in a monophyletic group, as it will always exclude that one descendant lineage.

Most species of moth are nocturnal, but there are crepuscular and diurnal species. They can be distinguished from butterflies in several ways.

People who study butterflies and/or moths are called lepidopterists; the study of butterflies is known as butterflying, and the study of moths mothing, the latter giving rise to the term "mother" for someone who takes part in this activity—sometimes written with a hyphen inserted (moth-er) to distinguish it from the word for a female parent. This confusion does not arise in spoken English since the two terms are pronounced differently.

hope I helped....

Answer 3

think back to the moth and there is no dissuading it however that it will be in any danger. It is drawn to the flame and will not be discouraged until you either force it in a way that it can no longer function correctly or you kill it yourself.

My only hope is that we as people have more sense than the moths that we see. That we as people can see the dangers before we run into them or correct our course in which we travel. That we can take heed from those that warn us of the perils that are in store for us.

But if not, well at least it will be a beautiful ending as the flame consumes its victim in its uncaring and unloving embrace of which will be the victims last look upon that event in life.
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