Antenna of Butterfly Under the Microscope
Antenna of Butterfly (Whole Mount), Lepidoptera
This slide shows a single butterfly antenna mounted whole. Students use it to see the clubbed tip that helps tell butterflies apart from most moths.
This is a whole mount of a butterfly antenna (order Lepidoptera), shown unstained so the natural brown color of its hard outer covering shows. The antenna is a long shaft made of many short segments joined end to end. Toward the tip, the segments get wider and form a club, which is a key clue for telling butterflies from most moths. Moth antennae are usually thread-like or feathery instead. Antennae are sense organs that help the insect smell and keep its balance in flight.
What to look for
- Club (clava): The thickened, rounded tip at the end of the antenna.
- Flagellum: The long, thin shaft made of many small, ring-like segments.
- Segments (flagellomeres): Repeating short sections along the shaft, separated by faint lines.
- Cuticle: The tough outer covering, which gives the antenna its natural tan to brown color.
Questions and answers
How can you tell a butterfly antenna from a moth antenna under a microscope?
Most butterfly antennae are thin shafts that end in a rounded club. Most moth antennae are either thread-like with no club or feathery, with many side branches. It is a handy rule of thumb, though a few species break it.
What do butterfly antennae do?
Antennae are sense organs. Butterflies use them to smell, to sense air movement, and to help with balance and direction during flight.
- Category
- Invertebrates
- Scan magnification
- 20x
Viewing this slide in class
This is a scan of a real prepared slide, not a simulation or a drawing. On StudyScope you can pan from the whole slide down to individual structures, always in focus, and measure them in real micrometers with the calibrated ruler. Present it live and every student screen follows your view and annotations. Students join with a room code on Chromebooks, iPads, or any browser, with no accounts.