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Butterflies (Papilionoidea) Entomology

How Many Legs Do Butterflies Have?

Butterflies, like all insects, have six legs.

These legs are divided into three pairs, each pair attached to one of the three segments of the butterfly’s thorax. Each leg consists of several parts including the coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia, and tarsus, ending in a pair of claws.

In many butterflies, the front pair of legs is reduced in size and not used for walking, but rather for taste sensing, especially in male butterflies.

Despite this, they are still technically considered legs, meaning butterflies indeed have six legs.

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