Other Definitions
lepidoptera (dict)

Lepidoptera

About 130 - see text The Lepidoptera is the second largest order of insects comprising butterflies, skippers, and moths. Lepidopterans (members of this order) go through a four-stage life cycle of egg–larva/caterpillar–pupa/chrysalis–imago/adult. Adults have two pairs of membranous wings covered with scales, and mouth parts adapted for sucking. The order comprises more than 160,000 species, second only to the Coleoptera (the beetles). The name is from Greek "scaly-wing" (lepido-pteron). See also metamorphosis (biology) and difference between a butterfly and a moth.

Families of Lepidoptera

There are thought to be about 130 families in this order, but opinions frequently change among lepidoperists as to which these are. The treatment here is that adopted for the Natural History Museum database http://www.nhm.ac.uk/entomology/butmoth/. Generally, this uses the families included in the series of reviews published as Kristensen (1999), but for the superfamily Gelechoidea, it retains the system of Nye & Fletcher (1991) rather than the contentious treatment of Hodges in Kristensen. Also, the Riodinidae are retained as a family in anticipation of a publication by Lamas et al which will reinstate this as a full family. (In Kristensen they are treated as a subfamily of the Lycaenidae.) The list also shows where other authors in the fairly recent past have treated groups as belonging in other families. The actual number of families listed here is 126. Lepidoptera is divided into several suborders, the largest being Ditrysia. Several other classifications of Lepidoptera families are commonly used. Butterflies families are collectively known as Rhopalocera (club-horned), while moth families are collectively known as Heterocera (varied-horned). Lepidoperists also group families by size of species members: microlepidoptera for small species, and macrolepidoptera for large species.

References


List of currently accepted families

amily!!Otherwise included in
a href="/encyclopedia/Acanthopteroctetidae" title="Acanthopteroctetidae">Acanthopteroctetidae Davis, 1978  
a href="/encyclopedia/Acrolepiidae" title="Acrolepiidae">Acrolepiidae Heinemann, 1870 Plutellidae or Yponomeutidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Acrolophidae" title="Acrolophidae">Acrolophidae Tineidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Adelidae" title="Adelidae">Adelidae Bruand, 1851  
a href="/encyclopedia/Agathiphagidae" title="Agathiphagidae">Agathiphagidae Kristensen, 1967  
a href="/encyclopedia/Agonoxenidae" title="Agonoxenidae">Agonoxenidae Meyrick, 1926 Elastichidae or Coleophoridae
a href="/encyclopedia/Aididae" title="Aididae">Aididae Megalopygidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Many-plumed-moth" title="Many-plumed moth">Alucitidae Leach, 1815  
a href="/encyclopedia/Anomoeotidae" title="Anomoeotidae">Anomoeotidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Anomosetidae" title="Anomosetidae">Anomosetidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Anthelidae" title="Anthelidae">Anthelidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Arctiidae" title="Arctiidae">Arctiidae Leach, 1815  
a href="/encyclopedia/Arrhenophanidae" title="Arrhenophanidae">Arrhenophanidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Axiidae" title="Axiidae">Axiidae Rebel, 1919 Noctuidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Batrachedridae" title="Batrachedridae">Batrachedridae Heinemann & Wocke, 1876 Coleophoridae or Mompidae or Cosmopterigidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Bedelliidae" title="Bedelliidae">Bedelliidae Meyrick, 1880 Lyonetiidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Blastobasidae" title="Blastobasidae">Blastobasidae Meyrick, 1894 Coleophoridae
a href="/encyclopedia/Bombycidae" title="Bombycidae">Bombycidae Latreille, 1802  
a href="/encyclopedia/Brachodidae" title="Brachodidae">Brachodidae Heppner, 1979 Glyphipterigidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Brahmaeidae" title="Brahmaeidae">Brahmaeidae Swinhoe, 1892  
a href="/encyclopedia/Bucculatricidae" title="Bucculatricidae">Bucculatricidae Wallengren, 1881  
a href="/encyclopedia/Callidulidae" title="Callidulidae">Callidulidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Carposinidae" title="Carposinidae">Carposinidae Walsigham, 1897  
a href="/encyclopedia/Carthaeidae" title="Carthaeidae">Carthaeidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Castniidae" title="Castniidae">Castniidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Cecidosidae" title="Cecidosidae">Cecidosidae Incurvariidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Choreutidae" title="Choreutidae">Choreutidae Stainton, 1854 Glyphipterigidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Coleophoridae" title="Coleophoridae">Coleophoridae Hubner, 1825  
a href="/encyclopedia/Copromorphidae" title="Copromorphidae">Copromorphidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Cosmopterigidae" title="Cosmopterigidae">Cosmopterigidae Heinemann & Wocke, 1876  
a href="/encyclopedia/Cossidae" title="Cossidae">Cossidae Leach, 1815  
a href="/encyclopedia/Crambidae" title="Crambidae">Crambidae Latreille, 1810 Pyralidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Crinopterygidae" title="Crinopterygidae">Crinopterygidae Spuler, 1898  
a href="/encyclopedia/Cyclotornidae" title="Cyclotornidae">Cyclotornidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Dalceridae" title="Dalceridae">Dalceridae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Doidae" title="Doidae">Doidae Arctiidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Douglasiidae" title="Douglasiidae">Douglasiidae Heinemann & Wocke, 1876  
a href="/encyclopedia/Drepanidae" title="Drepanidae">Drepanidae Boisduval, 1828  
a href="/encyclopedia/Dudgeoneidae" title="Dudgeoneidae">Dudgeoneidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Elachistidae" title="Elachistidae">Elachistidae Bruand, 1851  
a href="/encyclopedia/Endromidae" title="Endromidae">Endromidae Boisduval, 1828  
a href="/encyclopedia/Epermeniidae" title="Epermeniidae">Epermeniidae Spuler, 1910  
a href="/encyclopedia/Epicopeiidae" title="Epicopeiidae">Epicopeiidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Epipyropidae" title="Epipyropidae">Epipyropidae Dyar, 1903  
a href="/encyclopedia/Eriocottidae" title="Eriocottidae">Eriocottidae Spuler, 1898 Incurvariidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Eriocraniidae" title="Eriocraniidae">Eriocraniidae Tutt, 1899  
a href="/encyclopedia/Ethmiidae" title="Ethmiidae">Ethmiidae Busck, 1909 Elachistidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Eupterotidae" title="Eupterotidae">Eupterotidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Galacticidae" title="Galacticidae">Galacticidae Plutellidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Gelechiidae" title="Gelechiidae">Gelechiidae Stainton, 1854  
a href="/encyclopedia/Geometridae" title="Geometridae">Geometridae Leach, 1815  
a href="/encyclopedia/Glyphipterigidae" title="Glyphipterigidae">Glyphipterigidae Stainton, 1854  
a href="/encyclopedia/Gracillariidae" title="Gracillariidae">Gracillariidae Stainton, 1854  
a href="/encyclopedia/Hedylidae" title="Hedylidae">Hedylidae Geometridae
a href="/encyclopedia/Heliodinidae" title="Heliodinidae">Heliodinidae Heinemann & Wocke, 1876  
a href="/encyclopedia/Heliozelidae" title="Heliozelidae">Heliozelidae Heineman & Wocke, 1877  
a href="/encyclopedia/Hepialidae" title="Hepialidae">Hepialidae Stephens, 1829  
a href="/encyclopedia/Hesperiidae" title="Hesperiidae">Hesperiidae Latreille, 1809  
a href="/encyclopedia/Heterobathmiidae" title="Heterobathmiidae">Heterobathmiidae Micropterigidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Heterogynidae" title="Heterogynidae">Heterogynidae Herrich Schaffer, 1846  
a href="/encyclopedia/Himantopteridae" title="Himantopteridae">Himantopteridae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Holcopogonidae" title="Holcopogonidae">Holcopogonidae Gozmany, 1967 Autostichidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Hyblaeidae" title="Hyblaeidae">Hyblaeidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Immidae" title="Immidae">Immidae Heppner, 1977 Glyphipterigidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Incurvariidae" title="Incurvariidae">Incurvariidae Spuler, 1898  
a href="/encyclopedia/Lacturidae" title="Lacturidae">Lacturidae Yponomeutidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Lasiocampidae" title="Lasiocampidae">Lasiocampidae Harris, 1841  
a href="/encyclopedia/Lecithoceridae" title="Lecithoceridae">Lecithoceridae Le Marchand, 1947 Gelechiidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Lemoniidae" title="Lemoniidae">Lemoniidae Dyar, 1896  
a href="/encyclopedia/Limacodidae" title="Limacodidae">Limacodidae Duponchet, 1845  
a href="/encyclopedia/Lophocoronidae" title="Lophocoronidae">Lophocoronidae Common, 1973  
a href="/encyclopedia/Lycaenidae" title="Lycaenidae">Lycaenidae Leach, 1815  
a href="/encyclopedia/Lymantriidae" title="Lymantriidae">Lymantriidae Hampson, 1893  
a href="/encyclopedia/Lyonetiidae" title="Lyonetiidae">Lyonetiidae Stainton, 1854  
a href="/encyclopedia/Lypusidae" title="Lypusidae">Lypusidae Tineidae or Psychidae or Yponomeutidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Megalopygidae" title="Megalopygidae">Megalopygidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Metachandidae" title="Metachandidae">Metachandidae Meyrick, 1911 Oecophoridae or Gelechiidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Micropterigidae" title="Micropterigidae">Micropterigidae Herrich Schaffer, 1855  
a href="/encyclopedia/Mimallonidae" title="Mimallonidae">Mimallonidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Mirinidae" title="Mirinidae">Mirinidae Bombycidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Mnesarchaeidae" title="Mnesarchaeidae">Mnesarchaeidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Momphidae" title="Momphidae">Momphidae Herrich Schaffer, 1857 Coleophoridae
a href="/encyclopedia/Neopseustidae" title="Neopseustidae">Neopseustidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Neotheoridae" title="Neotheoridae">Neotheoridae Kristensen, 1978.  
a href="/encyclopedia/Nepticulidae" title="Nepticulidae">Nepticulidae Stainton, 1854  
a href="/encyclopedia/Noctuidae" title="Noctuidae">Noctuidae Latreille, 1809  
a href="/encyclopedia/Nolidae" title="Nolidae">Nolidae Hampson, 1894 Noctuidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Notodontidae" title="Notodontidae">Notodontidae Stephens, 1829  
a href="/encyclopedia/Brush-footed-butterfly" title="Brush-footed butterfly">Nymphalidae Swainson, 1827  
a href="/encyclopedia/Oecophoridae" title="Oecophoridae">Oecophoridae Bruand, 1851  
a href="/encyclopedia/Oenosandridae" title="Oenosandridae">Oenosandridae Notodontidae (Thaumatopoeidae)
a href="/encyclopedia/Opostegidae" title="Opostegidae">Opostegidae Meyrick, 1893  
a href="/encyclopedia/Palaeosetidae" title="Palaeosetidae">Palaeosetidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Palaephatidae" title="Palaephatidae">Palaephatidae Tineidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Pantheidae" title="Pantheidae">Pantheidae Noctuidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Papilionidae" title="Papilionidae">Papilionidae Latreille, 1802  
a href="/encyclopedia/Pieridae" title="Pieridae">Pieridae Duponchel, 1835  
a href="/encyclopedia/Plutellidae" title="Plutellidae">Plutellidae Guenee, 1845 Yponomeutidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Prodoxidae" title="Prodoxidae">Prodoxidae Riley, 1881  
a href="/encyclopedia/Prototheoridae" title="Prototheoridae">Prototheoridae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Bagworm-moth" title="Bagworm moth">Psychidae Boisduval, 1828  
a href="/encyclopedia/Pterolonchidae" title="Pterolonchidae">Pterolonchidae Meyrick, 1918 Coleophoridae
a href="/encyclopedia/Pterophoridae" title="Pterophoridae">Pterophoridae Zeller, 1841  
a href="/encyclopedia/Pyralidae" title="Pyralidae">Pyralidae Latreille, 1802  
a href="/encyclopedia/Riodinidae" title="Riodinidae">Riodinidae Lycaenidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Roeslerstammiidae" title="Roeslerstammiidae">Roeslerstammiidae Bruand, 1850  
a href="/encyclopedia/Saturniidae" title="Saturniidae">Saturniidae Boisduval, 1837  
a href="/encyclopedia/Schreckensteiniidae" title="Schreckensteiniidae">Schreckensteiniidae Fletcher, 1929  
a href="/encyclopedia/Scythrididae" title="Scythrididae">Scythrididae Rebel, 1901  
a href="/encyclopedia/Sematuridae" title="Sematuridae">Sematuridae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Sesiidae" title="Sesiidae">Sesiidae Boisduval, 1828  
a href="/encyclopedia/Simaethistidae" title="Simaethistidae">Simaethistidae Pyralidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Somabrachyidae" title="Somabrachyidae">Somabrachyidae Hampson, 1920 Megalopygidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Hawk-moth" title="Hawk moth">Sphingidae Latreille, 1802  
a href="/encyclopedia/Symmocidae" title="Symmocidae">Symmocidae Gozmany, 1957 Autostichidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Thyrididae" title="Thyrididae">Thyrididae Herrich Schaffer, 1846  
a href="/encyclopedia/Tineidae" title="Tineidae">Tineidae Latreille, 1810  
a href="/encyclopedia/Tineodidae" title="Tineodidae">Tineodidae Meyrick, 1885  
a href="/encyclopedia/Tischeriidae" title="Tischeriidae">Tischeriidae Spuler, 1898  
a href="/encyclopedia/Tortricidae" title="Tortricidae">Tortricidae Latreille, 1802  
a href="/encyclopedia/Uraniidae" title="Uraniidae">Uraniidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Urodidae" title="Urodidae">Urodidae  
a href="/encyclopedia/Whalleyanidae" title="Whalleyanidae">Whalleyanidae Thyrididae
a href="/encyclopedia/Yponomeutidae" title="Yponomeutidae">Yponomeutidae Stephens, 1829  
a href="/encyclopedia/Ypsolophidae" title="Ypsolophidae">Ypsolophidae Guenee, 1845 Yponomeutidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Zygaenidae" title="Zygaenidae">Zygaenidae Latreille, 1809  

List of relegated families

The following groups have been ranked as families in the fairly recent past, and the family names are still likely to be met with in books and on the internet. This list shows where the supposed families are now classified.
Family'!!Now included in
a href="/encyclopedia/Agaristidae" title="Agaristidae">Agaristidae Noctuidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Amphisbatidae" title="Amphisbatidae">Amphisbatidae Oecophoridae
a href="/encyclopedia/Apatelodidae" title="Apatelodidae">Apatelodidae Bombycidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Apoprogonidae" title="Apoprogonidae">Apoprogonidae Sematuridae
a href="/encyclopedia/Argyresthiidae" title="Argyresthiidae">Argyresthiidae Yponomeutidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Autostichidae" title="Autostichidae">Autostichidae Oecophoridae
a href="/encyclopedia/Blastodacnidae" title="Blastodacnidae">Blastodacnidae Agonoxenidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Cercophanidae" title="Cercophanidae">Cercophanidae Saturniidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Chimbachidae" title="Chimbachidae">Chimbachidae Oecophoridae
a href="/encyclopedia/Chrysopolomidae" title="Chrysopolomidae">Chrysopolomidae Limacodidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Cocytiidae" title="Cocytiidae">Cocytiidae Noctuidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Ctenuchidae" title="Ctenuchidae">Ctenuchidae Arctiidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Cyclidiidae" title="Cyclidiidae">Cyclidiidae Drepanidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Cycnodiidae" title="Cycnodiidae">Cycnodiidae Elachistidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Danaidae" title="Danaidae">Danaidae Nymphalidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Deoclonidae" title="Deoclonidae">Deoclonidae Gelechiidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Depressariidae" title="Depressariidae">Depressariidae Oecophoridae
Family'!!Now included in
a href="/encyclopedia/Deuterotineidae" title="Deuterotineidae">Deuterotineidae Eriocottidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Dilobidae" title="Dilobidae">Dilobidae Noctuidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Dioptidae" title="Dioptidae">Dioptidae Notodontidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Epiplemidae" title="Epiplemidae">Epiplemidae Uraniidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Glyphidoceridae" title="Glyphidoceridae">Glyphidoceridae Symmocidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Heliconiidae" title="Heliconiidae">Heliconiidae Nymphalidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Hypertrophidae" title="Hypertrophidae">Hypertrophidae Oecophoridae
a href="/encyclopedia/Lathrotelidae" title="Lathrotelidae">Lathrotelidae Crambidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Libytheidae" title="Libytheidae">Libytheidae Nymphalidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Manidiidae" title="Manidiidae">Manidiidae Sematuridae
a href="/encyclopedia/Megathymidae" title="Megathymidae">Megathymidae Hesperiidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Metarbelidae" title="Metarbelidae">Metarbelidae Cossidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Oinophilidae" title="Oinophilidae">Oinophilidae Tineidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Olethreutidae" title="Olethreutidae">Olethreutidae Tortricidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Oxytenidae" title="Oxytenidae">Oxytenidae Saturniidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Parnassiidae" title="Parnassiidae">Parnassiidae Papilionidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Peleopodidae" title="Peleopodidae">Peleopodidae Oecophoridae
Family'!!Now included in
a href="/encyclopedia/Pericopidae" title="Pericopidae">Pericopidae Arctiidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Phaloniidae" title="Phaloniidae">Phaloniidae Tortricidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Phyllocnistidae" title="Phyllocnistidae">Phyllocnistidae Gracillariidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Pseudarbelidae" title="Pseudarbelidae">Pseudarbelidae Psychidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Pterothysanidae" title="Pterothysanidae">Pterothysanidae Callidulidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Pyromorphidae" title="Pyromorphidae">Pyromorphidae Zygaenidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Ratardidae" title="Ratardidae">Ratardidae Cossidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Satyridae" title="Satyridae">Satyridae Nymphalidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Schistonoeidae" title="Schistonoeidae">Schistonoeidae Gelechiidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Stathmopodidae" title="Stathmopodidae">Stathmopodidae Oecophoridae
a href="/encyclopedia/Stenomidae" title="Stenomidae">Stenomidae Oecophoridae
a href="/encyclopedia/Strepsimanidae" title="Strepsimanidae">Strepsimanidae Noctuidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Thaumetopoeidae" title="Thaumetopoeidae">Thaumetopoeidae Notodontidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Thyatiridae" title="Thyatiridae">Thyatiridae Drepanidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Thyretidae" title="Thyretidae">Thyretidae Arctiidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Walshiidae" title="Walshiidae">Walshiidae Cosmopterigidae
a href="/encyclopedia/Xyloryctidae" title="Xyloryctidae">Xyloryctidae Oecophoridae

 

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