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. Millipedes have two pairs of legs on each body segment. Flies have mouthparts modified for sucking or piercing, and the mouthparts often form a proboscis. Flies are among the least pleasant of rainforest insects, as they include mosquitos, midges, bot flies and the African tsetse fly. Snails Slugs and snails belong to a group of lower animals called mollusks.