Which insect has order Lepidoptera and sucking mouthparts?

• A. Water Strider
• B. White-Lined Sphinx Moth
• C. Western Corn Rootworm
• D. Yellowjacket

Answer: (B)

Identifying insects by order and mouthpart type helps you connect what you see to how they feed. Lepidoptera, the group of moths and butterflies, have mouthparts adapted into a long sucking or siphoning proboscis used to sip nectar. The White-Lined Sphinx Moth is a hawk moth in this order and is well known for its strong, elongated proboscis that it uses to feed on nectar from flowers, making it a prime example of Lepidoptera with sucking mouthparts. The other insects listed come from different orders and have different feeding adaptations: water striders are Hemiptera with piercing-sucking mouthparts, Western corn rootworms are beetles (Coleoptera) with chewing mouthparts, and yellowjackets are Hymenoptera with chewing and sometimes lapping mouthparts, not the Lepidoptera siphoning type.