So where are legs 5 and 6 in Polygonia c-album? :-) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/127940521 I looked at quite a lot of pictures of this butterfly lately, and I keep seeing four legs.

A whole group of butterflies are called the brush-footed butterflies because the two front legs are modified into short brushes for cleaning the head. They have only four legs that look like legs.

There are some species of butterflies which are standing on four legs. The caterpillars will have all 6 legs. Those prolegs behind not counted. When the caterpillars become butterflies, the front legs become attached very close to the body, almost vestigial, I guess there is a use of those front leg…

Brush-footed butterflies: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47922-Nymphalidae

It"s explained here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphalidae

Have you ever seen a butterfly using those two modified front legs? I feel like I’ve seen it before but not quite sure and I want to see what it looks like when they’re cleaning their little heads :grin: maybe send a video

You know, it seems to me that I have seen it, too, but I can’t bring up a specific memory. Maybe I just thought it.

There are some good pictures of those reduced front legs in this research article: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Reduced-first-thoracic-limbs-of-Bicyclus-anynana-Nymphalidae-Indicated-by-the-black_fig1_51595675

Different species, but here’s a good photograph showing them as well: https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6s4NPMFNB8Y/XJpBJG92QeI/AAAAAAAAVns/wc84yI13SAUMPB7p_gVuyNaKNAk9TUsegCLcBGAs/s1600/HarlequinFLegs-KSK.jpg

The family Nymphalidae are characterized by their reduced front pair of legs, making it look like they only have four. Note also some males in Riodinidae and/or Lycaenidae will also have a reduced front pair of legs too.

Don’t know about common name, but Nymphalids hold first pair of legs tight to the body, they can be seen though.

Insects have six legs, right?

Nature Talk

anon93074988 August 1, 2022, 6:23am 14

Strictly speaking, insects have six legs when they are fully intact. Some aren’t very good at keeping them attached to their bodies.

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Insects have six legs, right?

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