Microlepidoptera (micromoths) is an artificial (i.e., unranked and not

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

) grouping of

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

families, commonly known as the "smaller moths" (

micro Micro may refer to: Measurement * micro- (μ), a metric prefix denoting a factor of 10−6 Places * Micro, North Carolina, town in U.S. People * DJ Micro, (born Michael Marsicano) an American trance DJ and producer * Chii Tomiya (都宮 � ...

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

). These generally have wingspans of under 20 mm, so are harder to identify by external

phenotypic In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology (physical form and structure), its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological propert ...

markings than

macrolepidoptera Macrolepidoptera is a group within the insect Order (biology), order Lepidoptera. Traditionally used for the larger butterflies and moths as opposed to the "microlepidoptera", this group is artificial. However, it seems that by moving some taxa ...

. They present some lifestyles that the larger Lepidoptera do not have, but this is not an identifying mark. Some hobbyists further divide this group into separate groups, such as

leaf miner A leaf miner is any one of numerous species of insects in which the larval stage lives in, and eats, the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths (Lepidoptera), sawflies (Symphyta, a paraphyletic group which ...

s or rollers, stem or root borers, and then usually follow the more rigorous scientific taxonomy of lepidopterans. Efforts to stabilize the term have usually proven inadequate.

Diversity

Vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

usage divides the Lepidoptera simply into smaller and larger or into more-primitive and less-primitive groups, microlepidoptera and macrolepidoptera, respectively. Intuitively, the "micros" are any lepidopteran not currently placed in the macrolepidoptera. This

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

assemblage, however, includes also the superfamilies

Zygaenoidea The Zygaenoidea comprise the superfamily of moths that includes burnet moths, forester moths, and relatives. The families are: * Aididae * Anomoeotidae * Cyclotornidae * Dalceridae * Epipyropidae * Heterogynidae * Himantopteridae * Lact ...

, Sesioidea, and

Cossoidea Cossoidea is the superfamily of moths that includes carpenter moths and relatives. Like their likely sister group Sesioidea they are internal feeders and have spiny pupae with moveable segments to allow them to extrude out of their exit holes in ...

that would in common parlance normally be lumped with the "macros". A lepidopterist might call these groups "primitive macros". Furthermore, even all of the non

ditrysia Ditrysia is a clade of lepidopterans that contains both butterflies and a majority of moth species. They are named for the fact that the female has two distinct sexual openings: one for mating, and the other for laying eggs. About 98% of know ...

n moths are not small. For example, the

Hepialidae The Hepialidae are a family of insects in the lepidopteran order. Moths of this family are often referred to as swift moths or ghost moths. Taxonomy and systematics The Hepialidae constitute by far the most diverse group of the infraorder Exop ...

or "swift moths" (up to 25 cm wingspan) fall quite basally in the lepidopteran "tree of life". The primitive superfamily Andesianoidea was formerly included within the Cossoidae and elevated in 2001, these moths have up to an order of magnitude greater wingspan (5.5 cm) than most previously known

monotrysia The Monotrysia are a group of moths in the lepidopteran order, not currently considered to be a natural group or clade. The group is so named because the female has a single genital opening for mating and laying eggs, in contrast to the rest of ...

n "micros". Whilst the smaller moths are usually also more seldom noticed, a more expansive "nonmacrolepidopteran" concept of the microlepidoptera would include about 37 out of the roughly 47 superfamilies. Whilst usually less popular, micros are thus more important in the sense that they include a much wider span of the "tree of life" (i.e.,

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

diversity). Whereas they include no

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

, micros do also include a surprising number of day-flying groups, and the advent of online identification resources in many countries (e.g. "UK moth

combined with the widespread use of digital

macrophotography Macro photography (or photomacrography or macrography, and sometimes macrophotography) is extreme close-up photography, usually of very small subjects and living organisms like insects, in which the size of the subject in the photograph is g ...

, is making them much easier to identify.

Lifestyle

Microlepidoptera can be found in a broad variety of habitats and

ecological niche In ecology, a niche is the match of a species to a specific environmental condition. Three variants of ecological niche are described by It describes how an organism or population responds to the distribution of Resource (biology), resources an ...

s worldwide, both

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth, as opposed to extraterrestrial. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on o ...

and

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

aquatic (e.g.

Acentropinae Acentropinae is a fairly small subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae, the crambid snout moths. Species of this subfamily are exclusively found in wetlands and aquatic habitats. Systematics In modern treatments, the former subfa ...

). They have a wide variety of feeding habits in both

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

l and

adult An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction. In the human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social an ...

life stages.

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s feed on a wide variety of plant tissue and across a wide spectrum of plant groups from

liverworts Liverworts are a group of non-vascular plant, non-vascular embryophyte, land plants forming the division Marchantiophyta (). They may also be referred to as hepatics. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in wh ...

angiosperms Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed within a fruit. T ...

. They are either external feeders ("exophagous") or more usually feed internally ("endophagous"), typically as

miners A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face (mining), face; cutt ...

or tunnellers, but some feed on

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

scavenge Scavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a herbivorous feeding be ...

on dead animals, are

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

s usually of other

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s (some

) or are

detritivore Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). There are many kinds of invertebrates, ...

s, and ''

Hyposmocoma molluscivora ''Hyposmocoma molluscivora'' is a Hawaiian moth whose larvae are predators, capturing snails in their silk, much like a hunting spider's web, and then crawling inside the snail's shell to eat it alive. It has been called the snail-eating caterpil ...

'' even feeds on live snails. Adult moths feed with

mandibles In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...

on spores and pollen (

Micropterigidae Micropterigoidea is the superfamily of "mandibulate archaic moths", all placed in the single family Micropterigidae, containing currently about twenty living genera. They are considered the most primitive extant lineage of lepidoptera (Kristense ...

) on dew (e.g.

Eriocraniidae Eriocraniidae is a family of moths restricted to the Holarctic region, with six extant genera. These small, metallic moths are usually day-flying, emerging fairly early in the northern temperate spring. They have a proboscis with which they drin ...

), with their

probosces A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a proboscis is an elongat ...

on nectar (many groups e.g.

Choreutidae Choreutidae, or metalmark moths, are a family of insects in the lepidopteran order whose relationships have been long disputed. It was placed previously in the superfamily Yponomeutoidea in family Glyphipterigidae and in superfamily Sesioide ...

) or are simply nonfeeding with mouthparts reduced or absent. The larvae of many smaller moths are considered economic

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

, causing damage to plants, as well as fabrics and other manmade goods. Commonly noticed "micros" include the

plume moth The Pterophoridae or plume moths are a family of Lepidoptera with unusually modified wings, giving them the shape of a narrow winged airplane. Though they belong to the Apoditrysia like the larger moths and the butterflies, unlike these they are ...

and the various species of

clothes moth Clothes moth or clothing moth is the common name for several species of moth considered to be pests, whose larvae eat animal fibres (hairs), including clothing and other fabrics. These include: * ''Tineola bisselliella'', the common clothes mot ...

Main groups

The list below is ordered initially in approximate order of species

diversity Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce *Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers * ...

and

ecological Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely re ...

abundance. The first four superfamilies listed here may comprise 90% of species in a sample of smaller moths and the listed characters may be of some assistance to sort these out, particularly the form of the

labial palp The term ''labial'' originates from '' Labium'' (Latin for "lip"), and is the adjective that describes anything of or related to lips, such as lip-like structures. Thus, it may refer to: * the lips ** In linguistics, a labial consonant ** In zoolog ...

and

scaling Scaling may refer to: Science and technology Mathematics and physics * Scaling (geometry), a linear transformation that enlarges or diminishes objects * Scale invariance, a feature of objects or laws that do not change if scales of length, energ ...

of the proboscis (Robinson et al. 2001). 1. Curved horn moths, twirler moths, case-bearers and allies – 16,250 spp. *

Gelechioidea __NOTOC__ Gelechioidea (from the type genus ''Gelechia'', "keeping to the ground") is the Taxonomic rank, superfamily of moths that contains the case-bearers, twirler moths, and relatives, also simply called curved-horn moths or gelechioid moths. ...

: Head smooth-scaled, labial palps usually are slender, recurved, with the terminal segment long and pointed; the long proboscis bears scales on basal half. Resting posture very varied. **

Gelechiidae The Gelechiidae are a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied Taxonomic rank, superfamily Gelechioidea, and the family's taxonomy (biology), taxonomy ...

– twirler moths **

Oecophoridae Oecophoridae (concealer moths) is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this. ...

– concealer moths **

Lecithoceridae The Lecithoceridae, or long-horned moths, are a family of small moths described by Simon Le Marchand in 1947. Although lecithocerids are found throughout the world, the great majority are found in the Indomalayan realm and the southern part of the ...

– tropical longhorned moths **

Cosmopterigidae The Cosmopterigidae are a family of insects (cosmet moths) in the order Lepidoptera. These are small moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previ ...

– cosmet moths **

Coleophoridae The Coleophoridae are a family of small moths, belonging to the huge superfamily Gelechioidea. Collectively known as case-bearers, casebearing moths or case moths, this family is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in temp ...

– case-bearers **

Elachistidae The Elachistidae (grass-miner moths) are a family of small moths in the Taxonomic rank, superfamily Gelechioidea. Some authors lumpers and splitters, lump about 3,300 species in eight subfamilies here, but this arrangement almost certainly result ...

– grass-miner miners **

Momphidae The Momphidae, or mompha moths, is a family of moths with some 115 described species. It was described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1857. These moths tend to be rather small with a wingspan of up to 21 mm. The wings are he ...

– mompha moths **

Ethmiidae The Ethmiinae are a Family (biology), subfamily of small moths in the Taxonomic rank, superfamily Gelechioidea sometimes included in the Elachistidae or the Oecophoridae, but mostly in the Depressariidae as a subfamily Ethmiinae.Wikispecies (2009 ...

Blastobasidae The Blastobasidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. Its species can be found almost anywhere in the world, though in some places they are not native but introduced by humans. In some arrangements, these moths are included in ...

– scavenger moths **

Batrachedridae The Batrachedridae are a small family (biology), family of tiny moths. These are small, slender moths which rest with their wings wrapped tightly around their bodies. Taxonomy The taxonomy of this and related groups is often disputed. This grou ...

– flower moths **

Scythrididae Scythrididae (flower moths) is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The family is sometimes included in the Xyloryctidae as a subfamily Scythridinae, but the Xyloryctidae themselves have sometimes been included in the Oecopho ...

– flower moths ** Pterolonchidae – lance-wing moths **

Symmocidae The Symmocinae are a subfamily of moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. These small moths are found mainly in the Palearctic and Africa. In modern treatments, they are usually united with the concealer moth family Autostichidae. History of c ...

Agonoxenidae The Agonoxeninae are a subfamily of moths. History of classification Formerly, the subfamily only contained four named species – all in the type genus '' Agonoxena'' – if (e.g. following Nielsen ''et al.'', 1996). Such a monotypic ar ...

– palm moths ** Holcopogonidae ** Metachandidae 2. Pyralids, snout moths and grass moths – 16,000 spp. *

Pyraloidea The Pyraloidea (pyraloid moths or snout moths) are a moth superfamily containing about 16,000 described species worldwide, and probably at least as many more remain to be described. They are generally fairly small moths, and as such, they have ...

: Head rough-scaled, proboscis scaled,

tympanal organ A tympanal organ (or tympanic organ) is a hearing organ in insects, consisting of a tympanal membrane ( tympanum) stretched across a frame backed by an air sac and associated sensory neurons. Sounds vibrate the membrane, and the vibrations are s ...

s on abdomen; labial palps usually not recurved, terminal segment usually blunt.

Hindwing Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindw ...

veins ("Sc" + "R1") and "Rs" are close or fused in the middle of the wing; resting posture usually either with wings tightly rolled or and held quite flat to surface in triangular shape and with labial palps often projecting forward, giving

Concorde Concorde () is a retired Anglo-French supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France and the United Kingdom signed a treaty establishin ...

-like appearance; antennae often swept back parallel together over body. Generally they are considered the closest group to '

', and maybe ancestral to it, macrolepidoptera itself is not a universally accepted taxon. **

Pyralidae The Pyralidae, commonly called pyralid moths, snout moths or grass moths, are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many (particularly older) classifications, the grass moths (Crambidae) are included in the Pyr ...

– pyrales or snout moths **

Crambidae Crambidae comprises the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, with the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies ...

– grass moths 3. Tortrix moths, leaf-roller moths, bell moths, codling moths and allies – 6,200 spp. *

Tortricidae The Tortricidae are a family of moths, commonly known as tortrix moths or leafroller moths, in the order Lepidoptera. This large family has over 11,000 species described, and is the sole member of the superfamily Tortricoidea, although the genu ...

: Head rough-scaled, labial palps with short blunt

apical Apical means "pertaining to an apex". It may refer to: *Apical ancestor, refers to the last common ancestor of an entire group, such as a species (biology) or a clan (anthropology) *Apical (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features loc ...

segment, basal half of proboscis not scaled; wings held over back in tent-like or flattened position;

forewing Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwi ...

costa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge of th ...

often quite strongly

convex Convex or convexity may refer to: Science and technology * Convex lens, in optics Mathematics * Convex set, containing the whole line segment that joins points ** Convex polygon, a polygon which encloses a convex set of points ** Convex polytop ...

or sinuate in many Tortricinae giving bell-like shape 4. Clothes moths, bagworms and allies – 4,200 spp. *

Tineoidea Tineoidea is the ditrysian superfamily of moths that includes clothes moths, bagworms and relatives. There are six families usually included within it, Eriocottidae, Arrhenophanidae, Lypusidae, Acrolophidae, Tineidae and Psychidae, whose r ...

: Head often with tufty erect scales; labial palps usually have bristles on middle segment and terminal segment is long; wings usually held over back in tent-like position and head close to surface; tineids often run fast **

Tineidae Tineidae is a family of moths in the order Lepidoptera described by Pierre André Latreille in 1810. Collectively, they are known as fungus moths or tineid moths. The family contains considerably more than 3,000 species in more than 300 genera. ...

– clothes moths and fungus moths **

Eriocottidae Eriocottidae or Old World spiny-winged moths is a family of insects in the order Lepidoptera whose position relative to other members of the superfamily Tineoidea is currently unknown. There are two subfamilies, Compsocteninae and Eriocottinae. ...

– Old World spiny winged moths **

Acrolophidae Acrolophinae is a family of moths in the order Lepidoptera. The subfamily comprises the burrowing webworm moths and tube moths and holds about 300 species in five genera, which occur in the wild only in the New World The term "New World" is ...

– tube moths ** Arrhenophanidae – tropical lattice moths **

Psychidae The Psychidae (bagworm moths, also simply bagworms or bagmoths) are a family of the Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). The bagworm family is fairly small, with about 1,350 species described. Bagworm species are found globally, with some, su ...

– bagworm moths **

Lypusidae Lypusidae is an obscure family of moths placed in the superfamily Gelechioidea. History of classification The group was traditionally considered monotypic (containing only the genus '' Lypusa'' with two species) and belonging in the primitive m ...

– European bagworm moths 5, 6. Leaf miner moths – 3,200 spp. *

Gracillarioidea Gracillarioidea is a large superfamily containing four families of insects in the order Lepidoptera. These generally small moths are miners in plant tissue as caterpillars. There are about 113 described genera distributed worldwide, the most comm ...

– 2,300 spp. **

Gracillariidae Gracillariidae is an important family of insects in the order Lepidoptera and the principal family of leaf miners that includes several economic, horticultural or recently invasive pest species such as the horse-chestnut leaf miner, ''Cameraria ...

– blotch leaf miner moths **

Bucculatricidae Bucculatricidae or (Bucculatrigidae) is a family of moths. This small family has representatives in all parts of the world. Some authors place the group as a subfamily of the family Lyonetiidae. Adults of this family are easily overlooked, bei ...

– ribbed cocoon makers **

Douglasiidae Douglasiidae is a small Lepidopteran family. It includes around 32 species of micromoth whose adults are collectively called Douglas moths, after British lepidopterist and hemipterist John William Douglas. The largest genus in the family is '' Ti ...

– Douglas moths **

Roeslerstammiidae Roeslerstammiidae is a Scientific classification, family of insects in the order Lepidoptera. The family arose from the taxonomic uncertainty of the genus ''Roeslerstammia'' Zeller, 1839, which was assigned to different families. The genus ''Roes ...

– double-eye moths *

Nepticuloidea Nepticuloidea is a superfamily of usually very small monotrysian moths that are characterised by small or large eyecaps over the compound eyes. It comprises two families, the "pigmy moths" ( Nepticulidae), with 12 genera which are very diverse w ...

– 900 spp. - eyecap moths **

Nepticulidae Nepticulidae is a family of very small moths with a worldwide distribution. They are characterised by eyecaps over the eyes (see also Opostegidae, Bucculatricidae, Lyonetiidae). These pigmy moths or midget moths, as they are commonly known, inc ...

– pygmy eyecap moths **

Opostegidae Opostegidae or "white eyecap moths" is a family of insects in the order Lepidoptera that is characterised by particularly large eyecaps over the compound eyes (see also Nepticulidae, Bucculatricidae, Lyonetiidae). Opostegidae are most diverse ...

– white eyecap moths 7. Ermine moths, webworm moths, yucca moths and allies – 1,500 spp. *

Yponomeutoidea Yponomeutoidea is a superfamily of ermine moths and relatives. There are about 1,800 species of Yponomeutoids worldwide, most of them known to come from temperate regions. This superfamily is one of the earliest groups to evolve external feedin ...

Yponomeutidae : ''Certain members of the unrelated snout moths (Pyralidae) are also known as "ermine moths." Spilosoma lubricipeda is an unrelated moth with the common name "white ermine."'' An ermine moth is any moth in the family Yponomeutidae, which has s ...

– ermine moths **

Acrolepiidae The Acrolepiidae are a family of moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, p ...

– false diamond-back moths **

Ypsolophidae Ypsolophidae is a Scientific classification#Linnaean taxonomy, family of moths with some 160 species. They are included in the Plutellidae by many authors. Systematics This is a list of genera and selected species. Ypsolophinae * ''Phrealcia'' ...

Plutellidae The Plutellidae are a family of moths commonly known as the diamondback moths, named after the diamondback moth (''Plutella xylostella'') of European origin. It was once considered to have three subfamilies: Plutellinae, Praydinae, and Scythrop ...

– diamond-back moths and allies **

Glyphipterigidae The Glyphipterigidae are a family of small moths commonly known as sedge moths, as the larvae of many species feed on Cyperaceae, sedges and Juncaceae, rushes. More than 500 species have been described in the family. Characters The moths have a w ...

– sedge moths **

Heliodinidae Heliodinidae, commonly known as sun moths, is a family of small moths with slender bodies and narrow wings. Members of this family are found in most parts of the world. Heliodinid moths are brightly coloured day-flying moths. The base of the haus ...

– sun moths **

Bedelliidae Bedelliidae is a small family (biology), family of small, narrow-winged moths; most authorities recognize just a single genus, ''Bedellia'', previously included in the family Lyonetiidae. The family is still included in the Lyonetiidae as the sub ...

Lyonetiidae Lyonetiidae is a family of moths with around 200 described species. These are small, slender moths, the wingspan rarely exceeding 1 cm. The very narrow forewings, held folded backwards covering the hindwings and abdomen, often have pointed G ...

– lyonet moths 8, 9. Plume moths – 1,160 spp. *

Pterophoridae The Pterophoridae or plume moths are a family of Lepidoptera with unusually modified wings, giving them the shape of a narrow winged airplane. Though they belong to the Apoditrysia like the larger moths and the butterflies, unlike these they are ...

– plume moths – 1,000 spp. * Alucitidae – many-plumed moths – 160 spp. 10. Tropical leaf moths or picture-winged moths – more than 1000 spp. *

Thyrididae The Thyrididae comprise the family of picture-winged leaf moths. They are the only family in the superfamily Thyridoidea, which sometimes has been included in the Pyraloidea, but this is not supported by cladistic analysis. Most species live in ...

: Small mainly dayflying moths: 11. Fairy moths, longhorn moths and allies – 600 spp. *

Adeloidea Adeloidea is a superfamily of primitive monotrysian moths in the order Lepidoptera which consists of leafcutters, yucca moths and relatives. This superfamily is characterised by a piercing, extensible ovipositor The ovipositor is a tube-l ...

Incurvariidae Incurvariidae is a family of small primitive monotrysian moths in the order Lepidoptera. There are twelve genus, genera recognised (Davis, 1999). Many species are leaf miners and much is known of their host plants, excluding ''Paraclemensia aceri ...

– leaf-cutter moths **

Adelidae The Adelidae or fairy longhorn moths are a family of monotrysian moths in the lepidopteran infraorder Heteroneura. The family was first described by Charles Théophile Bruand d'Uzelle in 1851. Most species have at least partially metallic, ...

– fairy moths **

Heliozelidae The Heliozelidae, commonly known as shield-bearer moths, are a family of small, day flying monotrysian moths distributed worldwide. The larvae of most heliozelid species are leaf miners who cut distinctive shield-shaped cases from the surface of ...

– shield-bearer leaf-miners **

Prodoxidae The Prodoxidae are a family of moths, generally small in size and nondescript in appearance. They include species of moderate pest status, such as the Lampronia capitella, currant shoot borer, and others of considerable ecological and evolutionar ...

– yucca moths **

Cecidosidae Cecidosidae is a family of primitive monotrysian moths in the order Lepidoptera which have a piercing ovipositor used for laying eggs in plant tissue in which they induce galls, or they mine in bark (Davis, 1999; Hoare and Dugdale, 2003). Nine sp ...

– gall moths 12. Metalmark moths – 402 spp. *

13. Mandibulate archaic moths – 180 spp. *

14. Sparkling archaic sun moths or spring jewel moths – 24 spp. *

Superfamilies less likely to be encountered: 15. Tropical fruitworm moths – 318 spp. *

Copromorphoidea Carposinoidea, the "fruitworm moths", is a superfamily of insects in the lepidopteran order. The superfamily is also known as Copromorphoidea, which is a junior synonym. These moths are small to medium-sized (10–50 mm. in wingspan) and a ...

Copromorphidae Copromorphidae, the "tropical fruitworm moths", is a family of insects in the lepidopteran order. These moths have broad, rounded forewings, and well-camouflaged scale patterns. Unlike Carposinidae the mouthparts include "labial palps" with the ...

Carposinidae Carposinidae, the "fruitworm moths", is a family of insects in the order Lepidoptera. These moths are narrower winged than Copromorphidae, with less rounded forewing tips. Males often have conspicuous patches of scales on either surface (Dugdal ...

16. Fringe tufted moths – 83 spp. *

Epermeniidae Epermeniidae or the fringe-tufted moths is a family of insects in the lepidopteran order with about 14 genera. Previously they have been divided in two subfamilies Epermeniinae and Ochromolopinae (e.g. Common, 1990: 321) but this is no longer ma ...

17. Blackberry leaf skeletonizer and allies – 8 spp. * Schreckensteiniidae 18. Immid moths – 250 spp. *

Immidae Immoidea is a superfamily of pantropical moths containing only the family Immidae comprising ten genera with around 250 species, over half of them in the genus ''Imma''. Many are brightly coloured and Diurnality, diurnal. The position of this gro ...

19. False burnet moths – 60 spp. * Urodidae 20. Tropical teak moths – 20 spp. *

Hyblaeidae Hyblaeidae are the "teak moths", a family of insects in the Lepidopteran order. The two genera with about 18 species make up one of the two families of the Hyblaeoidea superfamily (the other family being the monotypic Prodidactidae), which in t ...

21. Whalley's Malagasy moths – 2 spp. * Whalleyanidae More rarely encountered "primitive" families: 22. Kauri pine moths – 2 spp. *

Agathiphagidae ''Agathiphaga'' is a genus of moths, known as kauri moths, and is the only living genus in the family Agathiphagidae. This caddisfly-like lineage of primitive moths was first reported by Lionel Jack Dumbleton in 1952, as a new genus of Micropt ...

22. Southern beech moths or Valdivian archaic moths – 9 spp. * Heterobathmiidae 23. Archaic sun moths – 4 spp. * Acanthopteroctetidae 24. Australian archaic sun moths – 6 spp. * Lophocoronidae 25. Archaic bell moths – 12 spp. *

Neopseustidae Neopseustidae is a small family of day and night-flying "archaic bell moths" in the order Lepidoptera. They are classified into their own superfamily Neopseustoidea and infraorder Neopseustina. Four genera are known. These primitive moths are re ...

26. New Zealand endemic moths – 7 spp. * Mnesarchaeidae 27. Gondwanaland moths – 60 spp. *

Palaephatidae Palaephatoidea is a superfamily of insects in the order Lepidoptera with a single family, Palaephatidae with seven known genera. These "Gondwanaland moths" exhibit a disjunct distribution occurring mainly in South America (Davis, 1986), with fo ...

28. Trumpet leaf miner moths – 107 spp. *

Tischeriidae Tischerioidea is the superfamily of "trumpet" leaf miner moths. The superfamily contains just one family, Tischeriidae, and traditionally one genus, '' Tischeria'', but currently three genera are recognised, widespread around the world includin ...

29. Simaethistid moths – 4 spp. * Simaethistidae 30. Galacticoid moths or webworm moths – 17 spp. *

Galacticidae Galacticidae is a recently recognised and enigmatic family of insects in the lepidopteran order. These moderate sized moths are 8–17 mm in wingspan and have previously been embedded within several lepidopteran superfamilies (Tineoidea: Psy ...

Larger "micros"

These groups have been formerly included in macros by hobbyists. 'Archaic and primitive macros' is not a recommended name for these as it may create confusion of their placement in some classification systems. 31. Swift moths and allies – 544 spp. *

Hepialoidea The Hepialoidea are the superfamily of "ghost moths" and "swift moths". Fossils Fossil Hepialoidea appear to be few. ''Prohepialus'' (possibly Hepialidae) has been described from the about 35-million-year-old Bembridge marls of Isle of Wight. ...

– swift moths ** Anomosetidae – Australian primitive ghost moths ** Prototheoridae – African primitive ghost moths ** Neotheoridae – Amazonian primitive ghost moths ** Palaeosetidae – miniature ghost moths Unassigned to superfamily: 32. Meyrick's mystic moth – 1 sp. * Prodidactidae Large

n micros: 33. Andean endemic moths – 3 spp. * Andesianidae Large

n micros (formerly 'primitive macros'): 34. Burnet moths, slug moths, hag moths, glass moths and allies – 2,600 spp. *

Zygaenidae The Zygaenidae moths are a family of Lepidoptera. The majority of zygaenids are tropical, but they are nevertheless quite well represented in temperate regions. Some of the 1000 or so species are commonly known as burnet or forester moths, ofte ...

– burnet and forester moths **

Limacodidae The Limacodidae or Eucleidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Zygaenoidea or the Cossoidea;Scoble, M.J. (1992). ''The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity.'' Oxford University Press. the placement is in dispute. They are often ca ...

– slug moths or saddleback caterpillar moths **

Megalopygidae The flannel moths or crinkled flannel moths (scientific name Megalopygidae) are a family of insects. Distribution and habitat There is only one species of Megalopyge in the eastern United States, although there are several throughout the Neotro ...

– flannel moths **

Epipyropidae The Epipyropidae comprise a small family (biology), family of moths. This family and the closely related Cyclotornidae are unique among the Lepidoptera in that the larvae are ectoparasites, the hosts typically being Planthopper, fulgoroid planth ...

– planthopper parasite moths **

Heterogynidae The Heterogynidae are a family of insects in the order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been desc ...

– Mediterranean burnet moths **

Himantopteridae The Himantopteridae are a family of moths in the superfamily Zygaenoidea. The family is alternatively included in the family Anomoeotidae The Anomoeotidae are a family of moths in the order Lepidoptera of about 40 species, with Afrotropical an ...

– long-tailed burnet moths **

Anomoeotidae The Anomoeotidae are a family of moths in the order Lepidoptera of about 40 species, with Afrotropical and Oriental distribution.Pitkin, B. & P. Jenkins. Butterflies and Moths of the World: Generic Names and their Type-species. Natural History M ...

** Cyclotornidae – Australian parasite moths **

Somabrachyidae The Somabrachyidae are a family (biology), family of moths in the order Lepidoptera.Geertsema, H. (2000). Studies on African zygaenoid moths (Lepidoptera: Zygaenoidea): ''Parapsycharium'' n. gen. (Somabrachyidae) from the Western Cape province, S ...

– African flannel moths **

Dalceridae The Dalceridae are a small family of zygaenoid moths with some 80 known species encompassing about one dozen genera mostly found in the Neotropical region with a few reaching the far south of the Nearctic region. These are generally small or m ...

– glass moths **

Lacturidae The Lacturidae comprise a family of moths in the superfamily Zygaenoidea. Brightly coloured tropical moths, the Lacturidae have been previously placed in the Plutellidae, Yponomeutidae : ''Certain members of the unrelated snout moths (Pyralidae ...

– Australian burnet moths **

Aididae The Aididae are a family of moths in the superfamily Zygaenoidea The Zygaenoidea comprise the superfamily of moths that includes burnet moths, forester moths, and relatives. The families are: * Aididae * Anomoeotidae * Cyclotornidae * Dal ...

35. Clearwing moths, castniid moths, little bear moths and allies – 1,300 spp. * Sesioidea **

Sesiidae The Sesiidae or clearwing moths are a diurnality, diurnal moth family (biology), family in the order Lepidoptera known for their Batesian mimicry in both appearance and behaviour of various Hymenoptera. The family consists of 165 genus, genera ...

– clearwing moths **

Castniidae Castniidae, or castniid moths, is a small family of moths with fewer than 200 species: The majority are Neotropical with some in Australia and a few in south-east Asia. These are medium-sized to very large moths, usually with drab, cryptically ma ...

– castniid moths **

Brachodidae Brachodidae is a family of day-flying moths, commonly known as little bear moths, which contains about 135 species distributed around much of the world (Edwards et al. 1999). The relationships and status of the presently included genera are not w ...

– little bear moths 36, 37. Goat or carpenter moths and allies – 676 spp. *

Cossidae The Cossidae, the cossid millers or carpenter millers, make up a family of mostly large miller moths. This family contains over 110 genera with almost 700 known species, and many more species await description. Carpenter millers are Lepidopter ...

– goat moths, leopard moths or carpenterworm moths ** Dudgeoneidae – Dudgeon carpenterworm moths

Sources

* Robinson, G.S., Tuck, K.R., Shaffer, M. and Cook, K. (1994). ''The smaller moths of South-East Asia''. Malaysian Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur.
Common Name Index
{{Authority control Moth taxonomy Paraphyletic groups