Painted ladies are one of the most widely distributed species of butterfly, and can be found on all continents except Antarctica and Australia. Painted ladies males are territorial and will wait for a female to cross paths with them to court. The males will mate with multiple females in a season to ensure as much progeny as possible. They will mate year round in warm climates but reproductive behavior stops in the fall of temperate areas. The lifespan of Painted ladies is short, averaging about a year from egg to death. Each year, Painted lady makes huge, multi-generational, mass migrations up to 15000 km long in the Palearctic. It is a polyphagous herbivore that has been recorded feeding from more than 100 different plant species.
小紅蛺蝶是分佈最廣泛的蝴蝶種類之一，除南極洲和澳大利亞外，在所有大陸都可以找到。它的雄性具有領地意識，會等待雌性與它們相遇並進行求愛。雄性會在一個季節與多隻雌性交配，以確保盡可能多的後代。在溫暖的氣候下，小紅蛺蝶全年都會交配，但在溫帶地區的秋季，繁殖行為就會停止。小紅蛺蝶的壽命很短，從卵到死亡平均約一年。每年它都會在古北區進行大規模、多代的大規模遷徙，長達 15,000 公里。它是一種多食性草食動物，據記錄它以 100 多種不同的植物物種為食。
Notes 筆記
- Painted ladies (Vanessa cardui) are one of the most widely distributed species of butterfly, and can be found on all continents except Antarctica and Australia.
- Adults of Painted ladies are about 5.1 to 7.3 cm in length. The upper side of their wings are orange-brown with darker wing bases. Forewings have a white bar, and the rear wings have a row of five tiny black dots. The underside of their wings have brown, black,and gray patterns with tiny submarginal eyespots.
- Painted ladies is holometabolous which includes four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and imago.
- Painted ladies males are territorial and will wait for a female to cross paths with them to court. The Painted Lady males will mate with multiple females in a season to ensure as much progeny as possible. Painted ladies will mate year round in warm climates but reproductive behavior stops in the fall of temperate areas. Both male and females become sexually mature five to seven days after emerging from their cocoons. Mating and reproduction also take place throughout their mass migrations, producing multiple generations undertaking the migration.
- The lifespan of Painted ladies is short, averaging about a year from egg to death. In laboratory conditions, adults live for about 10 to 24 days after pupation.
- Each year, Vanessa cardui makes huge, multi-generational, mass migrations up to 15000 km long in the Palearctic. In the spring, these butterflies move northward from their overwintering places in Africa, through the Mediterranean, to much of the European continent, and they then migrate back in the fall. Millions of butterflies partake in these migrations, though the numbers fluctuate every year.
- The Painted Lady communicates through physical actions, chemicals, color, and sound. Larvae have limited, poor vision, though they can see red through ultraviolet on the color spectrum. Adults have compound eyes made up of thousand of ommatidia, which allows them to distinguish mates and host plants.
- Painted lady is a polyphagous herbivore that has been recorded feeding from more than 100 different plant species.
- Known predators of Painted lady include birds, bats, ants, wasps, and spiders. Adult Painted Ladies use camouflage and flight to evade predators.
- Painted lady is a pollinator of the plants and flowers in its habitat. More than 100 plants have been recorded to act as hosts for Painted lady larvae, but the most common include thistles, hollyhock, mallow, milkweed, aster, and a variety of legumes.
- 小紅蛺蝶是分佈最廣泛的蝴蝶種類之一，除南極洲和澳大利亞外，在所有大陸都可以找到。
- 小紅蛺蝶成蝶身長約5.1～7.3公分。它們翅膀的上側是橙棕色的，翼基部顏色較深。前翅有一條白條，後翅有一排五個小黑點。它們翅膀的底面有棕色、黑色和灰色的圖案，並有微小的邊緣下眼點。
- 小紅蛺蝶是全變態的，包括四個生命階段：卵、幼蟲、蛹和成蟲。
- 小紅蛺蝶的雄性具有領地意識，會等待雌性與它們相遇並進行求愛。雄性會在一個季節與多隻雌性交配，以確保盡可能多的後代。在溫暖的氣候下，小紅蛺蝶全年都會交配，但在溫帶地區的秋季，繁殖行為就會停止。雄性和雌性在破繭後五到七天就性成熟。交配和繁殖也在它們的大規模遷徙過程中進行，在遷徙過程中產生了多個世代。
- 小紅蛺蝶的壽命很短，從卵到死亡平均約一年。 在實驗室條件下，成蟲化蛹後可存活約 10 至 24 天。
- 每年小紅蛺蝶都會在古北區進行大規模、多代的大規模遷徙，長達 15,000 公里。春天這些蝴蝶從非洲的越冬地向北遷徙，穿過地中海，到達歐洲大陸的大部分地區，然後在秋天遷徙回來。數以百萬計的蝴蝶參與了這些遷徙，儘管數量每年都有波動。
- 小紅蛺蝶透過身體動作、化學物質、顏色和聲音來溝通。幼蟲的視力有限且較差，但它們可以透過色譜上的紫外線看到紅色。成蟲有由數千個小眼組成的複眼，這使它們能夠區分配偶和寄主植物。
- 小紅蛺蝶是一種多食性草食動物，據記錄它以 100 多種不同的植物物種為食。
- 小紅蛺蝶的已知掠食者包括鳥類、蝙蝠、螞蟻、黃蜂和蜘蛛。 小紅蛺蝶使用偽裝和飛行來躲避掠食者。
- 小紅蛺蝶是其棲息地的植物和花卉的授粉者。根據記錄有 100 多種植物可以作為小紅蛺蝶幼蟲的宿主，但最常見的包括薊、蜀葵、錦葵、馬利筋、紫菀和各種豆類。
References 參考資料
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Animal Diversity Web: Vanessa cardui