Final answer:
A butterfly egg, which is a gamete, would contain half the number of chromosomes found in its somatic cells. If the somatic cells have 24 chromosomes, the egg would be haploid with 12 chromosomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a somatic (body) cell in a butterfly contains 24 chromosomes, then a butterfly egg, which is a type of gamete, would contain half the number of chromosomes. This reduction in chromosome number occurs during meiosis, a process that produces reproductive cells, such as eggs and sperm, in sexually reproducing organisms. Thus, each butterfly egg would contain 12 chromosomes, which is referred to as a haploid number. The butterfly's somatic cells are diploid, meaning they contain two matched sets of chromosomes, one from each parent.