<P> Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera , which also includes moths . Adult butterflies have large , often brightly coloured wings , and conspicuous , fluttering flight . The group comprises the large superfamily Papilionoidea , which contains at least one former group , the skippers ( formerly the superfamily `` Hesperioidea '' ) and the most recent analyses suggest it also contains the moth - butterflies ( formerly the superfamily `` Hedyloidea '' ) . Butterfly fossils date to the Paleocene , which was about 56 million years ago . </P>
<P> Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera , which also includes moths . Adult butterflies have large , often brightly coloured wings , and conspicuous , fluttering flight . The group comprises the large superfamily Papilionoidea , which contains at least one former group , the skippers ( formerly the superfamily `` Hesperioidea '' ) and the most recent analyses suggest it also contains the moth - butterflies ( formerly the superfamily `` Hedyloidea '' ) . Butterfly fossils date to the Paleocene , which was about 56 million years ago . </P>
what is the scientific classification of a butterfly
what is the scientific classification of a butterfly
insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera
insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera