What's the difference between a moth and a butterfly?

A brilliant, orange-and-black-winged Monarch butterfly may fly through your mind if you say the word "butterfly". The brain may conjure up an image of a dull, brown-winged pest that nibbles holes through clothing.

Is appearance the main difference between these two types of insects? What is the difference between butterflies and moths?

The difference is more than wing deep.

There are many physical and behavioral differences between the two insect types.

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moths are more diverse than butterflies. The number of species of moths is more than the number of butterflies.

The insects have scales on their wings. Butterflies are more brilliantly decorated than moths, and they tend to have drab, brown or beige wings.

Behavioral differences between the two types of insects may be to blame for the coloration difference. During the day, Moths try to hide on dark objects like bark and leaves.

Butterflies camouflage themselves in this way, but they are diurnal, meaning they spend the daylight hours in the flower. The bright colored wings are an attempt to tell the predator that they have bad chemicals.

Butterflies fold their wings back to rest, while moths flatten their wings against their bodies.

The pupal stage is different between the adult and larva stages. cocoons are wrapped in silk. According to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Henrico, Virginia, butterflies are hard, smooth and silkless.

There are physical differences. The feathery or comb-like antennae of moths are thinner than the butterfly's club-shaped tips.

In addition to the differences in wing color, butterflies have a structure called a frenulum, which joins the forewing to the hind wing.

There are many exceptions to the rules that distinguish a butterfly from a moth. According to the National History Museum in London, the comet moth is active during the day and has bright yellow wings. According to the University of Florida, the Schaus swallowtail has a dull brown color and some white spots.

It was originally published on Live Science.