Moth Antennae: Curious Facts On Moth Species Revealed For Kids!

Moths belong to the paraphyletic group of insects and the taxonomic order of Lepidoptera.

There are more than 160,000 known species of moths that can be found all around the world. Moths are known for having an extremely powerful sense of smell because they can detect pheromones of a potential mate from up to 7 mi (11.2 km) away!

Moths are nocturnal insects. They mostly become active during the night.

This is completely opposite to their closely related cousin insects called butterflies, which are diurnal. Species of moths that are crepuscular and diurnal exist as well, but they are a lot less common than the widely found nocturnal species of moths. Most flying insects with wings have scales on their bodies.

Moths are no exception after coming out of their cocoons. The cocoon serves as a protective covering for caterpillars during the last stage of metamorphosis when scales and wings develop.

Moths can detect a lot using their antennae, such as male moths detecting female sex pheromones.

After reading about elaborate antennae in smaller and larger moths, also read about moth facts and moth dust. These articles are equally interesting and fascinating.

Difference Between Moth Antennae And Other Insects' Antennae

Antennae, in all arthropods, serve a similar purpose. Antennae are a sensory pair of appendages, which carry out the function of smelling and feeling the surroundings of the insect.

These antennae have sense receptors, which are responsible for sending chemical signals to the brain and helping male moths with locating resources in the environment or detecting female sex pheromones to find a potential mate.

The basic difference which can be easily seen with the naked eye between moths and butterflies and other insects is the difference in the appearance of their antennae. Moths have more feathery, or hairy, antennae compared to other animals.

Butterflies have longer antennae than moths. Butterflies have thin antennae which appear more straight and which end in a ball or club-like sphere at the end. There are differences in the appearance of antennae because different antennae are used for different functions.

As moths are nocturnal, their vision allows them to only partially observe with their sight and sense any danger. Hence, evolution has made the moth’s antennae become a lot more sensitive compared to antennae of other insects like butterflies.

As butterflies are diurnal, these insects with scales depend on their sense of vision as well as their sense of taste, provided by their wiry antennae.

Type Of Receptor Most Abundant In Antennae Of A Moth

Moths have larger antennae compared to other animals, which is useful for the moth. These antennae have small, hair-like structures with sense receptors at the tip which fan out from the thicker portion in the middle to support them.

As this increases the surface area covered by antennae, it allows the moth to navigate better and increases its strong olfactory senses.

These long antennae have several kinds of receptors at the base, which are called mechanosensors. Every antenna has mechanosensors that connect to sensorial neurons. These sensorial neurons send information to the brain which it collects from scent receptors. In this way, large moths can navigate themselves through pitch-black darkness.

Also, a segment of antennae called flagellomeres allows the microscopic receptors situated at the tip of small hair to move, even without any muscles. These movements happen due to small changes in air currents while the moth is in flight, or resting.

This warns the moth of any external danger or movement and helps protect itself from predators like reptiles.

What are moth antennae made of?

All insects, which include not only the ones with wings but also other crustaceans and arthropods, have developed their own varieties of antennae, depending on their needs of survival and finding resources. Some have wider, larger antennae, while some have developed longer, thinner antennae.

The basic function of antennae is to smell the surroundings of the particular insect and warn the insect of any danger or let the insect know about the presence of a possible mate. In moths, these antennae help them to find food and water and smell the nectar of flowers.

Male moths also detect moth sex pheromones in the air and find a potential mate in female moths.

Antennae are also referred to as feelers and are situated between the eyes and forehead of the moth. These antennae are made of smell receptors which are situated at the tips of hair of moths. A moth can have more than 70 smell receptors, depending on the moth species.

These receptors have certain chemicals called receptor proteins, which are responsible for recognizing the molecules which are caught by the receptors.

Many receptor proteins like enzymes and other chemosensory proteins help the receptors in several chemical processes wherein the receptors process and send the information to the neurons located at the base of antennae which further send the information to the brain.

This helps the moth detect scents in the air and act accordingly.

Why do moths have feathery antennae?

Moths are known for their powerful sense of smell. This sense of smell is achieved because of their antennae. Moths have long, feathery antennae from which small, feathery hairs can be seen growing from a thicker, central appendage.

Moths are nocturnal insects, so their reliance on their sense of vision is very low and they do not have developed eyesight that could help them see in the darkness. Hence, their antennae have evolved in a manner that makes it easier for them to navigate in the dark.

The wider surface of antennae and the abundance of smell receptors make it possible for moths to detect smells from a distance of almost 7 mi (11.2 km) away. These olfactory receptors on moth antennae bind themselves to any scent molecules found in the air like odors, pheromones, water vapor, and animal scents.

Hence, moths have developed characteristics like feathery antennae in order to survive better in their environment.

For example, the diamondback moth uses its antennae to detect smells of certain flowers and if the female moth finds a desirable plant or flower, it lays its eggs in that place, so as to ensure that the larva gets fed well on the food resources which the plant may provide to the caterpillar.

Another example is the hawk moth, which uses its antennae to stabilize itself during flight, as these antennae tend to wave back and forth in wind currents and help the moth to find balance in flight and be aware of any strong currents which might hinder the flight.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for moth antennae then why not take a look at cute baby farm animals or the biggest animals in the world.