Zygaena ephialtes - Amata nigricornis - Ctenuchina - Arctiinae

Airship butterfly

Since I became interested in photography, I have been able to collect a series of photographs showing the diversity and beauty of nature.

Gradually, materials accumulated. It took many kilometers to do this, but it was worth it.

As a result, I have the opportunity to talk about encounters with various inhabitants of forests and meadows.

Today, I want to present you with photographs showing a strange butterfly from family Zygaena, called Zygaena ephialtes.

I said that she is strange, only because she has a strange body shape, like an airship and, comparatively, small wings.

At first glance, this contradicts the laws of aerodynamics, but this butterfly flies well and is very careful.

I had to keep quiet and get very close to it.

This type of butterflies is characterized by the fact that the color of these butterflies may differ.

I saw butterflies with red and yellow spots on the wings and stripes on the abdomen, on a black background with an overflow of indigo.

It seems that they dress the way they want.

Each version of the butterfly outfit is very extravagant and original.

In the first two photos, you see a black butterfly with white dots and two red dots and a red stripe on the belly.

The second pair of photographs shows a different color and shape of the spots. I believe it is a different species of this butterfly called Amata nigricornis or Ctenuchina.

Her spots are scattered over the entire wing area and do not have a clear round shape.

The name of the whole family suggests that there is a similarity with a flying bear - Arctiinae.

To be honest, it was not easy for me to figure out all the chains and family ties of these butterflies, but I tried to systematize these photographs. If you have your own opinion on this matter, I will be glad to read it in the comments.

Author @barski
Ukraine

For my publications, I do not use stock photographs, it is fundamentally important for me to use photographs that I have made with my own hands for publication and I can name them - authorial work.

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