Schaus' swallowtail butterfly

Moth

Butterflies and moths in the Museum
This is a drawing of one of moths on display in the Museum. Although it looks quite a lot like the Schaus swallowtail, it is actually a moth.
Moths and butterflies belong to the insect order Lepidoptera. There is no real scientific difference between moths and butterflies but we still split them because:

Butterflies tend to be active during the day, are more brightly coloured, and have simple antennae ending in a small swelling or 'club'.
Moths tend to be active during the night, are less brightly coloured, and have a variety of different antennae, but never those with a 'club'.

Return to the Schaus' swallowtail page and learn about the other images.