Which family is known as brush-footed butterflies?

Which family is known as brush-footed butterflies?

• A. Nymphalidae
• B. Papilionidae
• C. Pieridae
• D. Hesperiidae

Answer: (A)

Brush-footed butterflies are defined by a distinctive front pair of legs that are reduced in size and covered with dense setae, so they don’t function in walking and the insect often appears to have only four legs. This trait is a key identifying feature of the Nymphalidae, making it the best answer. The other families have different hallmark characteristics—swallowtails often show hindwing tails, Pieridae are typically white or yellow, and skippers (Hesperiidae) have a stout body and hooked antennae with a different wing and flight style—without this reduced, brush-like front leg feature.

Brush-footed butterflies are defined by a distinctive front pair of legs that are reduced in size and covered with dense setae, so they don’t function in walking and the insect often appears to have only four legs. This trait is a key identifying feature of the Nymphalidae, making it the best answer. The other families have different hallmark characteristics—swallowtails often show hindwing tails, Pieridae are typically white or yellow, and skippers (Hesperiidae) have a stout body and hooked antennae with a different wing and flight style—without this reduced, brush-like front leg feature.