brush-footed butterfly

American  

[bruhsh-foot-id] / ˈbrʌʃˌfʊt ɪd /

noun

1. any of several butterflies of the family Nymphalidae, including the fritillaries, mourning cloaks, anglewings, and commas, characterized by reduced, nonfunctional forelegs.

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Example Sentences

It is a host plant for many of the brush-footed butterfly species that remind me of the fluttering beauties of my childhood, the mourning cloak, the red admiral and the question mark, the closest we get around here to something resembling the lovely tortoiseshell butterfly.

From Washington Post