Butterflies and Moths
Order Lepidoptera
The Butterflies and Moths (Order Lepidoptera) includes 11,813 species across 112 families and 2,787 genera in our directory.
About Butterflies and Moths
Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.
Economic Impact
Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.
Ecological Role
Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.
Families in Lepidoptera (112)
Species in Lepidoptera (11,813)
Pelochrista blanchardi - Hodges#3143.1
Pelochrista blanchardi
Pelochrista caniceps - Hodges#3018
Pelochrista caniceps
Pelochrista consobrinana - Hodges#3133
Pelochrista consobrinana
Pelochrista corosana - Hodges#3162
Pelochrista corosana
Pelochrista costastriata - Hodges#3132.7
Pelochrista costastriata
Pelochrista daemonicana - Hodges#3155
Pelochrista daemonicana
Pelochrista dapsilis - Hodges#3028
Pelochrista dapsilis
Pelochrista denverana - Hodges#3101
Pelochrista denverana
Pelochrista dilatana - Hodges#3111
Pelochrista dilatana
Pelochrista emaciatana - Hodges#3088
Pelochrista emaciatana
Pelochrista fandana - Hodges#3012
Pelochrista fandana
Pelochrista fernaldana - Hodges#3015
Pelochrista fernaldana
Pelochrista grandiflavana - Hodges#3096
Pelochrista grandiflavana
Pelochrista graziella - Hodges#3103
Pelochrista graziella
Pelochrista griselda - Hodges#3014.1
Pelochrista griselda
Pelochrista hasseanthi - Hodges#3109
Pelochrista hasseanthi
Pelochrista hazelana - Hodges#3010
Pelochrista hazelana
Pelochrista inquadrana - Hodges#3131
Pelochrista inquadrana
Pelochrista irroratana - Hodges#3059
Pelochrista irroratana
Pelochrista johnstoni - Hodges#3143.7
Pelochrista johnstoni
Pelochrista kandana - Hodges#3054.1
Pelochrista kandana
Pelochrista lathami - Hodges#3036
Pelochrista lathami
Pelochrista laticurva - Hodges#3027
Pelochrista laticurva
Pelochrista lolana - Hodges#3080
Pelochrista lolana
Pelochrista maculatana - Hodges#3064
Pelochrista maculatana
Pelochrista mobilensis - Hodges#3126
Pelochrista mobilensis
Pelochrista momana - Hodges#3077
Pelochrista momana
Pelochrista morrisoni - Hodges#3035
Pelochrista morrisoni
Pelochrista nr. bolanderana - Hodges#3029.01
Pelochrista nr-bolanderana
Pelochrista optimana - Hodges#3025
Pelochrista optimana
Pelochrista palabundana - Hodges#3079
Pelochrista palabundana
Pelochrista parapulveratana - Hodges#3132.4
Pelochrista parapulveratana
Pelochrista popana - Hodges#3154
Pelochrista popana
Pelochrista pulveratana - Hodges#3132
Pelochrista pulveratana
Pelochrista ragonoti - Hodges#3030
Pelochrista ragonoti
Pelochrista rosaocellana - Hodges#3148.2
Pelochrista rosaocellana
Pelochrista salaciana - Hodges#3148.1
Pelochrista salaciana
Pelochrista seamansi - Hodges#3132.1
Pelochrista seamansi
Pelochrista sepiana - Hodges#3132.2
Pelochrista sepiana
Pelochrista serpentana - Hodges#3031
Pelochrista serpentana
Pelochrista spaldingana - Hodges#3022
Pelochrista spaldingana
Pelochrista suadana - Hodges#3139
Pelochrista suadana
Pelochrista subflavana - Hodges#3060
Pelochrista subflavana
Pelochrista sullivani - Hodges#3086.1
Pelochrista sullivani
Pelochrista totana - Hodges#3089
Pelochrista totana
Pelochrista vagana - Hodges#3042
Pelochrista vagana
Pelochrista vandana - Hodges#3170
Pelochrista vandana
Pelochrista wagneri - Hodges#3116.3
Pelochrista wagneri
Pelochrista wandana - Hodges#3122
Pelochrista wandana
Penstemonia dammersi - Hodges#2619
Penstemonia dammersi
Penstemonia hennei - Hodges#2621
Penstemonia hennei
Peoria bipartitella - Hodges#6043
Peoria bipartitella
Peoria gematella - Hodges#6048
Peoria gematella
Peoria holoponerella - Hodges#6052
Peoria holoponerella
Peoria insularis - Hodges#6056.1
Peoria insularis
Peoria johnstoni - Hodges#6050
Peoria johnstoni
Peoria luteicostella - Hodges#6054
Peoria luteicostella
Peoria roseotinctella - Hodges#6049
Peoria roseotinctella
Peoria santaritella - Hodges#6051
Peoria santaritella
Pepper Flowerbud Moth - Hodges#2032
Symmetrischema capsica
Peraniana dissociata - Hodges#9521
Peraniana dissociata
Perching Saliana
Calpodes espiri
Peridea knudsoni - Hodges#7920.1
Peridea knudsoni
Perigea enixa - Hodges#9689.2
Perigea enixa
Perigonica angulata - Hodges#10468
Perigonica angulata
Perigonica eldana - Hodges#10467
Perigonica eldana
Perigonica fulminans - Hodges#10466
Perigonica fulminans
Perigonica pectinata - Hodges#10469
Perigonica pectinata
Perimede falcata - Hodges#1632
Perimede falcata
Perimede ricina - Hodges#1631
Perimede ricina
Periphoba arcaei Moth
Periphoba arcaei
Periploca cata - Hodges#1574
Periploca cata
Periploca ceanothiella - Hodges#1562
Periploca ceanothiella
Periploca nigra - Hodges#1577
Periploca nigra
Perittia cygnodiella - Hodges#1077
Perittia cygnodiella
Perittia herrichiella - Hodges#1077.1
Perittia herrichiella
Perittia serica - Hodges#1077.3
Perittia serica
Perizoma curvilinea - Hodges#7324
Perizoma curvilinea
Perizoma epictata - Hodges#7326
Perizoma epictata
Perizoma interrupta - Hodges#7321
Perizoma interrupta
Perizoma ochreata - Hodges#7322
Perizoma ochreata
Perizoma oxygramma - Hodges#7323
Perizoma oxygramma
Pero catalina - Hodges#6762.2
Pero catalina
Pero flavisaria - Hodges#6751
Pero flavisaria
Pero inviolata - Hodges#6750
Pero inviolata
Pero mizon - Hodges#6757
Pero mizon
Pero pima - Hodges#6762.1
Pero pima
Pero zalissaria - Hodges#6752
Pero zalissaria
Perola clara - Hodges#4700.5
Perola clara
Perplexing Plume Moth - Hodges#6156.2
Adaina perplexus
Petrophila longipennis - Hodges#4783
Petrophila longipennis
Phaeoura aetha - Hodges#6770
Phaeoura aetha
Phaeoura belua - Hodges#6767
Phaeoura belua
Phaeoura cana - Hodges#6771
Phaeoura cana
Phaeoura cristifera - Hodges#6764
Phaeoura cristifera
Phaeoura utahensis - Hodges#6769
Phaeoura utahensis
Phalonidia basiochreana - Hodges#3804
Phalonidia basiochreana
Phalonidia elderana - Hodges#3805
Phalonidia elderana
Phalonidia lepidana - Hodges#3836
Phalonidia lepidana
Identification: Adult - see Razowski (1997). ( 6 )
Phalonidia ontariana - Hodges#3809
Phalonidia ontariana