Although people often use the names beetle and bug interchangeably, they are really two different kinds of insect. Bugs are sucking insects, with mouthparts modified for sucking juices of animals or plants. Some bugs can also give painful bites, and are often found in warm rainforest environments. Butterflies Butterflies are important rainforest insects. The Atlantic coast rainforests of Brazil alone are home to over 2,000 species of butterfly, many of which are in danger of extinction.
Butterflies feed on nectar, and are important because they pollinate flowers.
Major butterfly families found in the rainforests include the ithomids, heliconids and morphids. Centipedes and millipedes Centipedes and millipedes are arthropod animals with many legs. Some of the largest are found in the rainforest, including the giant Malayan centipede Scolopendra, which may grow to 8 inches long and can inflict a painful bite. Centipedes have a single pair of legs on each body segment. Heavily armored tropical millipedes like the ones shown in the bottom two pictures on this page can also grow very large.