Taxonomy of the Lepidoptera

Classification of moths and butterflies
Micropterix aureatella, a micropterigid moth

The insect order Lepidoptera consists of moths (43 superfamilies), most of which are night-flying, and a derived group, mainly day-flying, called butterflies (superfamily Papilionoidea). Within Lepidoptera as a whole, the groups listed below before Glossata contain a few basal families accounting for less than 200 species; the bulk of Lepidoptera are in the Glossata. Similarly, within the Glossata, there are a few basal groups listed first, with the bulk of species in the Heteroneura. Basal groups within Heteroneura cannot be defined with as much confidence, as there are still some disputes concerning the proper relations among these groups. At the family level, however, most groups are well defined, and the families are commonly used by hobbyists and scientists alike.

Unassigned fossil lepidopterans

  • Family unassigned (12 genera, 16 species)
  • Family Archaeolepidae
  • Family Mesokristenseniidae
  • Family Eolepidopterigidae
  • Family Undopterigidae

Suborder Zeugloptera

  • Superfamily Micropterigoidea
    • Family Micropterigidae

Suborder Aglossata

Suborder Heterobathmiina

Suborder Glossata

Infraorder Dacnonypha

Dyseriocrania subpurpurella, an eriocranid moth

Clade Coelolepida, encompassing all remaining groups

Infraorder Acanthoctesia

Infraorder Lophocoronina

Clade Myoglossata, encompassing all remaining groups

Infraorder Neopseustina

Clade Neolepidoptera, encompassing all remaining groups

Infraorder Exoporia

Oncopera brunneata, a hepalialid moth

Infraorder Heteroneura

Clade Nepticulina

Clade Eulepidoptera, encompassing all remaining groups

Clade Incurvariina
Clade Etimonotrysia
Clade Ditrysia, encompassing all remaining groups
Clade Apoditrysia, encompassing all remaining groups
Clade Obtectomera, encompassing all remaining groups
Clade Macroheterocera (Macrolepidoptera sensu sticto), encompassing all remaining groups
Catocala nupta, red underwing, a noctuid moth
Drymonia ruficornis, a notodontid moth

References

  1. ^ Kristensen, Niels P.; Hilton, Douglas J.; Kallies, Axel; Milla, Liz; Rota, Jadranka; Wahlberg, Niklas; Wilcox, Stephen A.; Glatz, Richard v.; Young, David A.; Cocking, Glenn; Edwards, Ted; Gibbs, George W.; Halsey, Mike (2015). "A new extant family of primitive moths from Kangaroo Island, Australia, and its significance for understanding early Lepidoptera evolution". Systematic Entomology. 40 (1): 5–16. Bibcode:2015SysEn..40....5K. doi:10.1111/syen.12115. S2CID 82036021.
  2. ^ Kaila, Lauri; Nupponen, Kari; Gorbunov, Pavel Yu; Mutanen, Marko; Heikkilä, Maria (2020-05-22). "Ustyurtiidae, a new family of Urodoidea with description of a new genus and two species from Kazakhstan, and discussion on possible affinity of Urodoidea to Schreckensteinioidea (Lepidoptera)". Insect Systematics & Evolution. 51 (3): 444–471. doi:10.1163/1876312X-00002209. ISSN 1876-312X.
  3. ^ Rajaei, Hossein; Greve, Carola; Letsch, Harald; Stüning, Dieter; Wahlberg, Niklas; Minet, Joël; Misof, Bernhard (2015). "Advances in Geometroidea phylogeny, with characterization of a new family based on Pseudobiston pinratanai (Lepidoptera, Glossata)". Zoologica Scripta. 44 (4): 418–436. doi:10.1111/zsc.12108. S2CID 84153029.
  • Capinera, John L. (Editor). (2008). Encyclopedia of Entomology, (2nd Ed). Springer Reference. ISBN 1-4020-6242-7, ISBN 978-1-4020-6242-1. Limited preview in Google Books.
  • van Nieukerken, Erik J.; Lauri Kaila; Ian J. Kitching; Niels P. Kristensen; David C. Lees; Joël Minet; Charles Mitter; Marko Mutanen; Jerome C. Regier; Thomas J. Simonsen; Niklas Wahlberg; Shen-Horn Yen; Reza Zahiri; David Adamski; Joaquin Baixeras; Daniel Bartsch; Bengt Å. Bengtsson; John W. Brown; Sibyl Rae Bucheli; Donald R. Davis; Jurate De Prins; Willy De Prins; Marc E. Epstein; Patricia Gentili-Poole; Cees Gielis; Peter Hättenschwiler; Axel Hausmann; Jeremy D. Holloway; Axel Kallies; Ole Karsholt; Akito Y. Kawahara; Sjaak (J.C.) Koster; Mikhail V. Kozlov; J. Donald Lafontaine; Gerardo Lamas; Jean-François Landry; Sangmi Lee; Matthias Nuss; Kyu-Tek Park; Carla Penz; Jadranka Rota; Alexander Schintlmeister; B. Christian Schmidt; Jae-Cheon Sohn; M. Alma Solis; Gerhard M. Tarmann; Andrew D. Warren; Susan Weller; Roman V. Yakovlev; Vadim V. Zolotuhin; Andreas Zwick (23 December 2011). Zhang, Zhi-Qiang (ed.). "Order Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758" (PDF). Zootaxa. Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness. 3148: 212–221..
  • Scoble, M.J. (1995) The Lepidoptera: form, function and diversity. The Oxford University Press, Oxford UK. ISBN 0-19-854952-0. Ltd preview in Google Books.
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Extant Lepidoptera families
Suborder Zeugloptera
Micropterigoidea
Micropterigidae (mandibulate archaic moths)
Suborder Aglossata
Agathiphagoidea
Agathiphagidae (kauri moths)
Heterobathmioidea
Suborder Glossata
Dacnonypha
Eriocranioidea
Acanthoctesia
Acanthopteroctetoidea
  • Acanthopteroctetidae (archaic sun moths)
Lophocoronina
Lophocoronoidea
Neopseustina
Neopseustoidea
Exoporia
Hepialoidea
  • Anomosetidae
  • Hepialidae (swift moths, ghost moths)
  • Neotheoridae (Amazonian primitive ghost moths)
  • Palaeosetidae (miniature ghost moths)
  • Prototheoridae (African primitive ghost moths)
Mnesarchaeoidea
  • Mnesarchaeidae (New Zealand primitive moths)
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Adeloidea
Adelidae (fairy longhorn moths)
Cecidosidae
Heliozelidae
Incurvariidae
Prodoxidae (yucca moths)
Andesianoidea
  • Andesianidae (Andean endemic moths)
Nepticuloidea
Nepticulidae (pigmy, or midget moths)
Opostegidae (white eyecap moths)
Palaephatoidea
Palaephatidae (Gondwanaland moths)
Tischerioidea
Tischeriidae (trumpet leaf miner moths)
D
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Simaethistoidea
Tineoidea
Acrolophidae (burrowing webworm moths)
Arrhenophanidae
Eriocottidae (Old World spiny-winged moths)
Psychidae (bagworm moths)
Tineidae (fungus moths)
Gracillarioidea
Bucculatricidae (ribbed cocoon makers)
Douglasiidae (Douglas moths)
Gracillariidae
Roeslerstammiidae
Yponomeutoidea
Acrolepiidae (false diamondback moths)
Bedelliidae
Glyphipterigidae (sedge moths)
Heliodinidae
Lyonetiidae
Plutellidae
Yponomeutidae (ermine moths)
Ypsolophidae
Gelechioidea
Autostichidae
Batrachedridae
Blastobasidae
Coleophoridae (case-bearers, case moths)
Cosmopterigidae (cosmet moths)
Elachistidae (grass-miner moths)
Gelechiidae (twirler moths)
Lecithoceridae (long-horned moths)
Lypusidae
Metachandidae
Momphidae (mompha moths)
Oecophoridae (concealer moths)
Pterolonchidae
Scythrididae (flower moths)
Xyloryctidae (timber moths)
Galacticoidea
Zygaenoidea
Heterogynidae
Zygaenidae (burnet, forester, or smoky moths)
Himantopteridae
Lacturidae
Somabrachyidae
Megalopygidae (flannel moths)
Aididae
Anomoeotidae
Cyclotornidae
Epipyropidae (planthopper parasite moths)
Dalceridae (slug caterpillars)
Limacodidae (slug, or cup moths)
Cossoidea
Cossidae (carpenter millers, or goat moths)
Dudgeoneidae (dudgeon carpenter moths)
Sesioidea
Brachodidae (little bear moths)
Castniidae (castniid moths: giant butterfly-moths, sun moths)
Sesiidae (clearwing moths)
Choreutoidea
Choreutidae (metalmark moths)
Tortricoidea
Tortricidae (tortrix moths)
Urodoidea
Urodidae (false burnet moths)
Schreckensteinioidea
Schreckensteiniidae (bristle-legged moths)
Epermenioidea
Epermeniidae (fringe-tufted moths)
Alucitoidea
Alucitidae (many-plumed moths)
Tineodidae (false plume moths)
Pterophoroidea
Pterophoridae (plume moths)
Whalleyanoidea
Immoidea
Copromorphoidea
Copromorphidae (tropical fruitworm moths)
Carposinidae (fruitworm moths)
Thyridoidea
Thyrididae (picture-winged leaf moths)
Calliduloidea
Callidulidae (Old World butterfly-moths)
Papilionoidea
(butterflies)
Papilionidae (swallowtail butterflies)
Hedylidae (American moth-butterflies)
Hesperiidae (skippers)
Pieridae (whites, yellows, orangetips, sulphurs)
Riodinidae (metalmarks)
Lycaenidae (gossamer-winged butterflies: blues, coppers and relatives)
Nymphalidae (brush-footed, or four-footed butterflies)
Hyblaeoidea
Hyblaeidae (teak moths)
Pyraloidea
Pyralidae (snout moths)
Crambidae (grass moth)
Mimallonoidea
Mimallonidae (sack bearer moths)
Lasiocampoidea
Lasiocampidae (eggars, snout moths, or lappet moths)
Bombycoidea
Anthelidae (Australian lappet moth)
Apatelodidae (American silkworm moths)
Bombycidae (silk moths)
Brahmaeidae (Brahmin moths)
Carthaeidae (Dryandra moth)
Endromidae (Kentish glory and relatives)
Eupterotidae
Phiditiidae
Saturniidae (saturniids)
Sphingidae (hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms)
Noctuoidea
Erebidae (underwing, tiger, tussock, litter, snout, owlet moths)
Euteliidae
Noctuidae (daggers, sallows, owlet moths, quakers, cutworms, darts)
Nolidae (tuft moths)
Notodontidae (prominents, kittens)
Oenosandridae
Drepanoidea
Drepanidae (hook-tips)
Cimeliidae (gold moths)
Doidae
Geometroidea
Sematuridae
Pseudobistonidae
Epicopeiidae (oriental swallowtail moths)
Uraniidae
Geometridae (geometer moths)
Superfamily unassigned
Note: division Monotrysia is not a clade.
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Taxonomy of ...
Life
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