Input Chart: Body Part Function of a Butterfly & Caterpillar Table of Contents Input Chart Talking Points Pictures to support student understanding

Spnnerets

Talking Points: Body Functions of a Caterpillar and Butterfly *Start from the top At the Title Today we are going to be talking about the function of the body parts of a caterpillar and a butterfly and comparing and contrasting their differences.   A function is the purpose for which something is designed or the role it plays. Say the word function with me. At the caterpillar The caterpillar has two body parts, the head and the segment section. At the butterfly The butterfly has three body parts. These are the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. The thorax is the middle section of an insect’s body. Say thorax. “Thorax.” The abdomen is the rear section of an insect’s body. Say abdomen. “Abdomen.” The butterflies scientific name as an adult insect is imago. The caterpillar’s head is covered by a dark shiny capsule containing 12 small eyes, 6 eyes on each side of the head. A capsule is a case or sac that covers the head. Say the word capsule with me. “Capsule.” The eyes are simple and can only distinguish between light and dark. Not all of the eyes are easily visible. The caterpillars’ head also has the spinneret that is responsible for spinning silk located below the mouth. (Put up picture of spinneret.) In contrast the compound eyes of a butterfly are large and rounded and can see color well. Compound means composed of many parts. Say the word compound with me. “Compound.” These compound eyes help them find food, recognize a potential mate, and select plants on which to lay eggs. At the Caterpillar To eat their food, the caterpillar has a chewing mouth that is located on the underside of the head. The Painted Lady will feed on mallow for nutrients. The jaws move back and forth from the sides of the head toward the middle instead of moving up and down as our jaws work. Leaves are the main nutrient to full-fill the diet of the hungry caterpillar.

At the butterfly On the other hand the butterfly has a proboscis. A proboscis is a long sucking mouth tube. Say proboscis with me. “Proboscis.” The proboscis remains coiled when not in use but uncoils to reach deep into a flower to drink nectar—the main nutrients for the butterflies diet.   At the caterpillar Caterpillars have two small antennae located on each side of the chewing mouth. Antennae are movable parts used for touch, that appear in pairs on the heads of insects. Say antennae. “Antennae.” Also the butterfly antennae are used for touch and smell. The caterpillar’s body is divided into thirteen segments. A Segment is a part. Say segment with me. “Segment.” On each of the first three segments, there is a pair of jointed legs. Jointed means having joints or parts. Say jointed with me. “Jointed.” These legs will become the butterfly’s long slender legs. These legs do not have a function in the caterpillar stage.

 At the caterpillar On four segments in the middle of the caterpillar’s body and one toward the end, there are five sets of prolegs. A proleg means false legs. Say proleg with me. “Proleg.” The caterpillar does most of its walking on the proIegs, which act as suction cups when the insect crawls on a smooth surface. Across the bottom are bristles shaped like hooks. Bristles are short, stiff, coarse hairs. Say bristles with me. “Bristles.” These bristles cling to plant leaves and stems or silk spun by the caterpillar. The last pair of prolegs at the rear of the body is used as an anchor when shedding skin or hanging. At the butterfly In contrast, butterflies have six jointed legs. The first pair is very small. The other two pairs are long and slender. These longer legs can taste their food.   At the caterpillar A caterpillar’s body is covered by bristles One property of the bristles is that they reflect light, making the body less visible to birds. Because these bristles on the caterpillar are prickly, they also make it more difficult for a bird to swallow them.

At the butterfly On the other hand the butterfly’s body is long and slender , covered with soft hairs.   At the caterpillar Caterpillars breathe through spiracles. Spiracles are breathing holes. Say spiracles with me. “Spiracles.” These spiracles are light colored rings with dark centers located along each side of the body. Fresh air is drawn in and stale air is expelled through these spiracles. Butterflies have two pairs of wings. Wings provide several jobs. They are for mobility, to be recognized by their distinctive pattern as belonging to a specific kind of butterfly, and giving it a way to escape from predators by camouflaging them. The wings are necessary when the butterflies migrate to warmer climates. On the other hand caterpillars don’t have wings.  At the butterfly The abdomen is the last body section of the butterfly. In females, this section is somewhat more rounded. At the tip of this section are the reproductive organs. Since caterpillars don’t perform the job of reproduction this part is not found in a caterpillar’s body. Caterpillars excrete frass—little green pellets of waste. Many butterflies do not excrete waste as they use up all their energy from the nutrients they eat. 10-2 “When I give you the signal word, turn and talk to someone near you about how the body functions of the caterpillar are similar to the body functions of the butterfly. (give students 2 minutes to share w/peers. Have some students share out. Give scouts a chance to say who has earned an award)

spiracle bristles proboscis Head, thorax, & true legs

Spinneret