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)
Pyreferra slotteni - Hodges#9932.1
Pyreferra slotteni
Pyromorpha caelebs - Hodges#4638
Pyromorpha caelebs
Pyromorpha dyari - Hodges#4632
Pyromorpha dyari
Quasisalebria admixta - Hodges#5779
Quasisalebria admixta
Quasisalebria atratella - Hodges#5779.1
Quasisalebria atratella
Quasisalebria occidentalis - Hodges#5777.1
Quasisalebria occidentalis
Quebec Anania - Hodges#4954
Anania quebecensis
Queen Butterfly
Danaus gilippus
Question Mark Butterfly
Polygonia interrogationis
Radcliffe's Dagger Moth - Hodges#9209
Acronicta radcliffei
Ragonotia dotalis - Hodges#5902
Ragonotia dotalis
Rain Moth
Abantiades argentata
Ramstadt's Hypena - Hodges#8442.1
Hypena ramstadtii
Ranchman's Tiger Moth
Platyprepia virginalis
Ranchman's Tiger Moth - Hodges#8163
Arctia virginalis
Rand's Eyed Silk Moth - Hodges#7745
Automeris randa
Rare Spring Moth - Hodges#6263
Heliomata infulata
Rare skipper - Hodges#4053
Problema bulenta
Raspberry Leafroller Moth - Hodges#2817
Olethreutes permundana
Raspberry Pyrausta
Pyrausta signatalis
Raspberry leaf-roller moth - Hodges#3286
Epinotia medioviridana
Razowski's Aethes Moth - Hodges#3759.3
Aethes razowskii
Reakirt's Blue Butterfly
Echinargus isola
Rectilinea Slug Moth - Hodges#4668
Apoda rectilinea
Recurvaria consimilis - Hodges#1781
Recurvaria consimilis
Red Admiral Butterfly
Vanessa atalanta
(c) Petr Harant, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Red Cracker Butterfly
Hamadryas amphinome
Red Groundling Moth
Perigea xanthioides
Red Pine Shoot Moth - Hodges#5861.1
Dioryctria resinosella
Red-banded Hairstreak Butterfly
Calycopis cecrops
Red-bordered Emerald
Nemoria lixaria
Red-bordered Metalmark
Caria ino
Red-bordered Satyr - Hodges#4602
Gyrocheilus patrobas
Red-crescent Scrub-Hairstreak - Hodges#4338
Strymon rufofusca
Red-disked Alpine - Hodges#4596
Erebia discoidalis
Red-edged Acleris - Hodges#3502
Acleris albicomana
Red-footed Hypena - Hodges#8455
Hypena eductalis
Red-fringed Emerald Moth
Nemoria bistriaria
Red-fronted Emerald - Hodges#7047
Nemoria rubrifrontaria
Red-headed Inchworm Moth
Macaria bisignata
Red-humped Caterpillar Moth
Schizura concinna
Red-humped Oakworm Moth
Symmerista canicosta
Red-line Quaker - Hodges#9956
Agrochola lota
Red-lined Panopoda
Panopoda rufimargo
Red-lined Scrub-Hairstreak - Hodges#4339
Strymon bebrycia
Red-shouldered Ctenucha Moth
Ctenucha rubroscapus
Red-spotted Purple Admiral
Limenitis arthemis
Red-striped Needleworm - Hodges#3269
Epinotia radicana
Red-waisted Florella Moth
Syngamia florella
Red-winged Sallow - Hodges#9942
Xystopeplus rufago
Redbud Leafroller
Fascista cercerisella
Reddish Speckled Dart Moth
Cerastis tenebrifera
Redundant Skipper
Corticea corticea
Reed-boring Crambid Moth - Hodges#5307
Carectocultus perstrialis
Refracted Metarranthis Moth
Metarranthis refractaria
Regal Cydosia - Hodges#9000
Cydosia nobilitella
Regal Moth
Citheronia regalis
Reginia primrose moth - Hodges#11166.1
Schinia regina
Rejectaria albisinuata - Hodges#8399
Rejectaria albisinuata
Renia hutsoni - Hodges#8383
Renia hutsoni
Renia mortualis - Hodges#8389
Renia mortualis
Renia new species - Hodges#8389.96
Renia new-species
Renia pulverosalis - Hodges#8382
Renia pulverosalis
Renia rigida - Hodges#8384
Renia rigida
Replete Dart - Hodges#10665
Feltia repleta
Resapamea diluvius - Hodges#9391.1
Resapamea diluvius
Resapamea enargia - Hodges#9389
Resapamea enargia
Resapamea innota - Hodges#9387
Resapamea innota
Resapamea venosa - Hodges#9388
Resapamea venosa
Residua Underwing - Hodges#8785
Catocala residua
Retarded Dagger Moth
Acronticta retardata
Retinia burkeana - Hodges#2900
Retinia burkeana
Retinia gemistrigulana - Hodges#2898
Retinia gemistrigulana
Retinia pallipennis - Hodges#2899
Retinia pallipennis
Retinia picicolana - Hodges#2901
Retinia picicolana
Retinia taedana - Hodges#2890
Retinia taedana
Reversed Haploa Moth
Haploa reversa
Reversed Roadside-Skipper - Hodges#4101
Amblyscirtes reversa
Rhagea stigmella - Hodges#5967
Rhagea stigmella
Rhamphura altisierrae - Hodges#1649
Rhamphura altisierrae
Rhesus Skipper - Hodges#4014
Polites rhesus
Rhigognostis interrupta - Hodges#2360
Rhigognostis interrupta
Rhizagrotis albalis - Hodges#9576
Rhizagrotis albalis
Rhizagrotis cloanthoides - Hodges#9575
Rhizagrotis cloanthoides
Rhizagrotis modesta - Hodges#9838
Rhizagrotis modesta
Rhizagrotis stylata - Hodges#10176
Rhizagrotis stylata
Rhyacia clemens - Hodges#10925.1
Rhyacia clemens
Rhyacionia aktita - Hodges#2885
Rhyacionia aktita
Rhyacionia blanchardi - Hodges#2880
Rhyacionia blanchardi
Rhyacionia fumosana - Hodges#2881
Rhyacionia fumosana
Rhyacionia multilineata - Hodges#2870
Rhyacionia multilineata
Rhyacionia pasadenana - Hodges#2871
Rhyacionia pasadenana
Rhyacionia versicolor - Hodges#2888
Rhyacionia versicolor
Rhyacionia zozana - Hodges#2872
Rhyacionia zozana
Ribbed Case Moth
Hyalarcta nigrescens
Rice Stalk Borer Moth - Hodges#5470
Chilo plejadellus
Rice Worm Moth - Hodges#9343
Apamea apamiformis
Richards' Fungus Moth - Hodges#8505
Metalectra richardsi
Richia praefixa - Hodges#10933
Richia praefixa
Riding's Fairy Moth
Adela ridingsella