Ol Bikpela na Ol Liklik

“Yu no ken kilim ol bataplai.”—Em tok bilong WILLIAM BLAKE (1757-​1827).

OLSEM WANEM? Yu bin lukluk long bataplai i flai? Ating olgeta man i save amamas long lukluk long dispela naispela liklik binatang i raun. Ol bataplai i stap long olgeta hap bilong graun, na bikpela bilong ol na kala bilong ol i narapela narapela. Ol i tok i gat 15,000 i go inap 20,000 narapela narapela kain bataplai!

Yu bin lukim wanem bataplai i bikpela na i winim ol narapela yu bin lukim? Sapos yu sindaun long Papua Niugini, ating yu bin lukim wanpela bataplai i bikpela tru, winim olgeta narapela long graun, em Ornithoptera alexandrae, na tupela wing bilong en taim em i opim na taitim i olsem 28 sentimita. Sapos yu sindaun long Not o Sentral Amerika, ating yu bin lukim bataplai Papilio homerus, em tupela wing wantaim i op i olsem 15 sentimita. Wanpela bikpela bataplai bilong Afrika i winim olgeta narapela bikpela bataplai long dispela kantri, em Papilio antimachus, na tupela wing bilong en i op wantaim i olsem 23 sentimita.

Olsem wanem long ol bataplai i liklik tru? Ol i stap we? Wanpela buk (The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Butterflies), em saveman John Feltwell i raitim, em i tok, “bataplai Brephidium exilis bilong Not Amerika . . . em i liklik tru, ating winim olgeta narapela bataplai long graun, na tupela wing i op wantaim i olsem 1/2–3/4 ins (1.5-1.9 sentimita).” Bataplai Cupido minimus i stap long Briten na i liklik, winim ol narapela liklik bataplai long dispela kantri, na tupela wing i op wantaim i olsem 2.4 sentimita.

Long planti hap bilong graun, i gat ol haus bataplai em yu inap wokabaut raun long en, na ol dispela naispela bataplai inap sindaun antap long sol bilong yu. Yu inap kisim save long planti samting bilong ol dispela naispela binatang God i bin wokim, na long i stap bilong en. Olsem: Skin bilong en i save senis senis. Pastaim em i stap insait long wanpela liklik kiau, bihain em i kamap katapila, na bihain em i stap insait long wanpela kain karamap, na bihain long dispela em i kamap wanpela bataplai tru. Olsem na long narapela taim yu lukim wanpela bataplai i flai, orait sanap, na lukluk, na amamas long en. Yu lukluk long wanpela gutpela samting tru​—⁠maski em i bikpela o liklik!

[Ol Piksa long pes 16, 17]

Bataplai i bikpela tru em Ornithoptera alexandrae na bataplai i liklik tru em Brephidium exilis (mak tru bilong bikpela bilong tupela)

[Ol Kredit Lain]

Ol bataplai: Allyn Museum of Entomology, Florida Museum of Natural History