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)
Pseudacontia crustaria - Hodges#10172
Pseudacontia crustaria
Pseudanarta actura - Hodges#9602
Pseudanarta actura
Pseudanarta basivirida - Hodges#9603
Pseudanarta basivirida
Pseudanarta caeca - Hodges#9604
Pseudanarta caeca
Pseudanarta daemonalis - Hodges#9613
Pseudanarta daemonalis
Pseudanarta damnata - Hodges#9611
Pseudanarta damnata
Pseudanarta exasperata - Hodges#9609
Pseudanarta exasperata
Pseudanarta perplexa - Hodges#9610
Pseudanarta perplexa
Pseudanarta pulverulenta - Hodges#9608
Pseudanarta pulverulenta
Pseudanarta vexata - Hodges#9612
Pseudanarta vexata
Pseudanthracia Moth - Hodges#8683
Pseudanthracia coracias
Pseuderotis obiterella - Hodges#1009
Pseuderotis obiterella
Pseudethmia protuberans - Hodges#1008
Pseudethmia protuberans
Pseudeustrotia indeterminata - Hodges#9054
Pseudeustrotia indeterminata
Pseudeva palligera - Hodges#8900
Pseudeva palligera
Pseudexentera costomaculana - Hodges#3257
Pseudexentera costomaculana
Pseudexentera haracana - Hodges#3252
Pseudexentera haracana
Pseudexentera knudsoni - Hodges#3253.3
Pseudexentera knudsoni
Pseudexentera oreios - Hodges#3252.2
Pseudexentera oreios
Pseudexentera senatrix - Hodges#3250
Pseudexentera senatrix
Pseudexentera sepia - Hodges#3252.1
Pseudexentera sepia
Pseudexentera vaccinii - Hodges#3254.1
Pseudexentera vaccinii
Pseudhapigia brunnea - Hodges#8029
Pseudhapigia brunnea
Pseudobryomima distans - Hodges#9598
Pseudobryomima distans
Pseudochelaria arbutina - Hodges#1860
Pseudochelaria arbutina
Pseudochelaria pennsylvanica - Hodges#1862
Pseudochelaria pennsylvanica
Pseudochelaria scabrella - Hodges#1863
Pseudochelaria scabrella
Pseudochelaria walsinghami - Hodges#1864
Pseudochelaria walsinghami
Pseudocopivaleria anaverta - Hodges#10018
Pseudocopivaleria anaverta
Pseudohemihyalea splendens - Hodges#8220
Pseudohemihyalea splendens
Pseudohermonassa flavotincta - Hodges#10952
Pseudohermonassa flavotincta
Pseudopanthea palata - Hodges#9186
Pseudopanthea palata
Pseudopostega albogaleriella - Hodges#0121
Pseudopostega albogaleriella
Pseudopostega cretea - Hodges#0119
Pseudopostega cretea
Pseudopostega quadristrigella - Hodges#0122
Pseudopostega quadristrigella
Pseudorgyia russula - Hodges#8513
Pseudorgyia russula
Pseudorgyia versuta - Hodges#8512
Pseudorgyia versuta
Pseudorthodes irrorata - Hodges#10582
Pseudorthodes irrorata
Pseudorthodes keela - Hodges#10581
Pseudorthodes keela
Pseudorthodes virgula - Hodges#10584
Pseudorthodes virgula
Pseudoschoenobius opalescalis - Hodges#5337
Pseudoschoenobius opalescalis
Pseudotelphusa fuscopunctella - Hodges#1871
Pseudotelphusa fuscopunctella
Pseudotelphusa landryi - Hodges#1872.1
Pseudotelphusa landryi
Pseudotelphusa palliderosacella - Hodges#1873
Pseudotelphusa palliderosacella
Psilocorsis amydra - Hodges#0958
Psilocorsis amydra
Psilocorsis cirrhoptera - Hodges#0960
Psilocorsis cirrhoptera
Psilocorsis fatula - Hodges#0959.1
Psilocorsis fatula
Psilopleura polia - Hodges#8276.1
Psilopleura polia
Psychonoctua gilensis - Hodges#2699
Psychonoctua gilensis
Psychophora phocata - Hodges#7411
Psychophora phocata
Pterocypha defensata - Hodges#7299
Pterocypha defensata
Pterospoda kunzei - Hodges#6708
Pterospoda kunzei
Pterotaea albescens - Hodges#6566
Pterotaea albescens
Pterotaea cariosa - Hodges#6568
Pterotaea cariosa
Pterotaea miscella - Hodges#6558
Pterotaea miscella
Pterotaea newcombi - Hodges#6569
Pterotaea newcombi
Pterotaea plagia - Hodges#6552
Pterotaea plagia
Pterotaea sperryae - Hodges#6550
Pterotaea sperryae
Pterotaea succurva - Hodges#6555
Pterotaea succurva
Ptichodis bucetum - Hodges#8754
Ptichodis bucetum
Ptichodis immunis - Hodges#8750.1
Ptichodis immunis
Ptichodis pacalis - Hodges#8752
Ptichodis pacalis
Ptychoglene coccinea - Hodges#8079
Ptychoglene coccinea
Purple Plagodis - Hodges#6841
Plagodis kuetzingi
Purple-washed Skipper - Hodges#4121
Panoquina lucas
Purplish Copper Butterfly
Lycaena helloides
Putnam's Looper - Hodges#8950
Plusia putnami
Putty-patched Moth - Hodges#2828
Olethreutes griseoalbana
Pygarctia lorula - Hodges#8252
Pygarctia lorula
Pygmy Paectes Moth
Paectes pygmaea
Pyla aenigmatica - Hodges#5827
Pyla aenigmatica
Pyla fasciella - Hodges#5837
Pyla fasciella
Pyla rainierella - Hodges#5833
Pyla rainierella
Pyla scintillans - Hodges#5832
Pyla scintillans
Pyla serrata - Hodges#5832.2
Pyla serrata
Pyla viridisuffusella - Hodges#5839
Pyla viridisuffusella
Pyralis manihotalis - Hodges#5515
Pyralis manihotalis
Pyramidobela agyrtodes - Hodges#0961.2
Pyramidobela agyrtodes
Pyramidobela quinquecristata - Hodges#0961
Pyramidobela quinquecristata
Pyrausta Moth
Pyrausta subsequalis
Pyrausta andrei - Hodges#5063
Pyrausta andrei
Pyrausta antisocialis - Hodges#5076
Pyrausta antisocialis
Pyrausta cardinalis - Hodges#5076.2
Pyrausta cardinalis
Pyrausta dapalis - Hodges#5054
Pyrausta dapalis
Pyrausta demantrialis - Hodges#5018
Pyrausta demantrialis
Pyrausta generosa - Hodges#5056
Pyrausta generosa
Pyrausta grotei - Hodges#5033
Pyrausta grotei
Pyrausta homonymalis - Hodges#5055
Pyrausta homonymalis
Pyrausta insignitalis - Hodges#5044
Pyrausta insignitalis
Pyrausta inveterascalis - Hodges#5036
Pyrausta inveterascalis
Pyrausta phoenicealis - Hodges#5049
Pyrausta phoenicealis
Pyrausta pilatealis - Hodges#5026
Pyrausta pilatealis
Pyrausta pseudonythesalis
Pyrausta pseudonythesalis
Pyrausta pythialis - Hodges#5035
Pyrausta pythialis
Pyrausta retidiscalis - Hodges#5062
Pyrausta retidiscalis
Pyrausta roseivestalis - Hodges#5021
Pyrausta roseivestalis
Pyrausta semirubralis - Hodges#5067
Pyrausta semirubralis
Pyrausta subgenerosa - Hodges#5057
Pyrausta subgenerosa
Pyreferra ceromatica - Hodges#9931
Pyreferra ceromatica
Pyreferra pettiti - Hodges#9932
Pyreferra pettiti