Most conspicuously, it lacks obvious ventral eyespots on the hindwings ; there are 2 large ones in V. virginiensis and 4 small ones in V. cardui.

The ventral hindwings have a fragmented yellow proximal patch bordered by a thick postmedial band of red that does not reach the wing margins ; maximum wingspan is 4. 8 – 6. 7 cm.

In the Strepsiptera ( small insects parasitic on bees, wasps and cockroaches ), the forewings evolved into halteres, while in the Diptera ( flies, mosquitoes and gnats ), the hindwings changed into halteres.

Most Parnassius have two small reddish spots on their hindwings.

The hindwings are also white with pale fascia and a small black discal spot.

The hindwings are pale grey with darker fringes and a small black discal spot.

Otherwise, the Gelechioidea vary extensively in habitus ; most have small hindwings with long, hairy fringes, though these are not easily seen in the living animal as they are tucked under the forewings at rest.

The hindwings are the same brown / grey colour with small black dots and a narrow orange border.

Adults have dark brown wings with white bands and spots, and a small orange ring on each of the hindwings.

The Luna Moth typically has a wingspan of, rarely exceeding with long, tapering hindwings, which have eyespots on them in order to confuse potential predators.

The moth Automeris io possesses eyespots hidden on its hindwings.

It can occur in rare colour forms, one with yellow hindwings and body and one with extended black on hindwings.

Its wingspan is 28 – 33 mm with alternating pale buff and darker brown fascia on the forewings and a similar pattern, but much paler, on the hindwings.

The Apollo butterfly ( Parnassius apollo ) is a beautiful white butterfly, decorated with large black " eye " spots on the forewings and red eye-spots on the hindwings.

The wings of this species are buffish yellow ( the males tend to be more yellow in colour than the females ) and are typically marked with a diagonal row of dark spots on the forewing and a few other scattered spots on both forewings and hindwings.

The basic pattern on the underside is similar but the forewings are orange with dark spots, and the hindwings are russet with cream spots rimmed in black.

Often confused with the Large Skipper Ochlodes venata, this species is easily distinguished by the numerous white spots on the underside hindwings, and the tips of the upper forewings tend to be darker than those of the Large Skipper.

Even the palest C. croceus tends to have more black on the upperside however, in particular on the hindwings.

The hindwings have a short tail with two orange spots at the base on the underside.

The outer edge of the hindwing has an orange border, but there is no orange on the forewings like the similar Black Hairstreak and there are two short tails on the hindwings.

on the hindwings there is a row of inconspicuous black spots along the bottom edge.

The males ' dorsal wing surfaces are a dramatic combination of velvety black forewings and metallic blue-green to violet covering the margins of the forewings and hindwings.

The colours of most species are pigmentary ( via papiliochrome ); but two species, Troides magellanus and the much rarer T. prattorum, are noted for their use of limited-view iridescence: the yellow of the dorsal hindwings is modified by bright blue-green iridescence which is only seen when the butterfly is viewed at a narrow, oblique angle.

The hindwings are connected to the forewings by a series of hooks called hamuli.

The fore and hindwings are not hooked together, permitting a more graceful flight.

The forewings, or tegmina, are narrower than the hindwings and hardened at the base, while the hind wing is membranous, with straight veins and numerous cross-veins.

At rest, the hindwings are held folded fan-like under the forewings.

The hindwings have an amber patch at their base.

The forewings are short oblong leathery plates used to cover the hindwings like the elytra of a beetle, rather than to fly.

Most species have short and leather-like forewings with very thin hindwings, though species in the suborders Arixeniina and Hemimerina have no wings and are blind with filiform segmented cerci.

The forewings of an earwig are sclerotized to serve as protection for the membranous hindwings.

The hindwings are much smaller than the forewings, and may be vestigial or absent.

They have a frenulum and retinaculum to join hindwings and forewings.

The underside hindwings are pale yellow with the veins highlighted by black scales giving a greenish tint, hence Green-veined White.

Most have drab forewings, although some have brightly coloured hindwings.

The hindwings are pale in colour and surrounded by a dark brown border.

Unlike in other Adephaga, the hindwings are not folded under the elytra, but rolled together apically.

The adults of this order possess four membranous wings, with the forewings and hindwings about the same size, and with many veins.

The elytra of this cockchafer ( maybug ) are readily distinguished from the transparent hindwings.

The elytra primarily serve as protective wing-cases for the hindwings underneath, which are used for flying.

To fly, a beetle typically opens the elytra and then extends the hindwings, flying while still holding the elytra open, though some beetles in the families Scarabaeidae and Buprestidae can fly with the elytra closed.

The hindwings are similarly constructed, but have three spars.