FAMILY NYMPHALIDAE

• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

• Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

• Insects (Class Insecta)

• Butterflies and Moths (Order Lepidoptera)

• Butterflies (Superfamily Papilionoidea)

• Brushfoot Butterflies (Family Nymphalidae)

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The family Nymphalidae, commonly known as the brush-footed butterflies, is the largest family of butterflies, containing more than 6,000 species distributed across every continent except Antarctica. Members of this family are renowned for their remarkable diversity in size, coloration, wing shape, and habitat preferences. A defining characteristic of nymphalids is the reduction of the front pair of legs, which are often small and brush-like, causing the butterflies to appear as though they walk on only four legs. Adults typically feed on nectar, although many species also obtain nutrients from rotting fruit, tree sap, carrion, or animal droppings.