In 2019, I started measuring the metabolic activity of butterfly species. I was able to determine the CO2 respiration rate and body mass of 13 different butterfly species and three other insect species (see the figure 1 and table 1). Due to the COVID19 pandemic I was not able to continue this research in 2020.
The measurements were collected with a Vernier Go Direct CO2 gas sensor and a digital scale (1.0 mg). During measurement, the butterflies were placed in a polyethylene bottle in the dark at room temperature.

Tabel 1. Metabolic activity and body mass of a selection of butterfly species (n=13; 19 individuals) and other insect species (n=3) measured in 2019.
