lepidopteran

Dictionary: lep·i·dop·ter·an (lĕp'ĭ-dŏp'tər-ən) pronunciation

n.
An insect belonging to the large order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths, characterized by four membranous wings covered with small scales.

[From New Latin Lepidoptera, order name : LEPIDO- + Greek ptera, pl. of pteron, wing, winged creature; see -pter.]

lepidopteran lep'i·dop'ter·an or lep'i·dop'ter·ous adj.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: lepidopteran

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Any of the more than 155,000 species constituting the order Lepidoptera (Greek: "scaly wing"): butterflies, moths, and skippers. The name refers to the dusting of minute scales that covers the wings and bodies of these insects. A slender proboscis is used for sucking. Nearly all lepidopterans are plant eaters, and species are found on every continent except Antarctica. Females may lay from a few to a thousand or more eggs at a time. All lepidopterans undergo complete metamorphosis. Many types move from one region to another, sometimes crossing thousands of miles of ocean, but the only species that truly migrates — the same individuals making a two-way flight — is the monarch butterfly.

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WordNet: lepidopteran

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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: insect that in the adult state has four wings more or less covered with tiny scales
Synonyms: lepidopterous insect, lepidopteron

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	Blastobasidae (invertebrate zoology)
	Heliodinidae (invertebrate zoology)
	Hepialidae (invertebrate zoology)

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		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more