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)
Sympistis glennyi - Hodges#10083
Sympistis glennyi
Sympistis greyi - Hodges#10131.1
Sympistis greyi
Sympistis griseicollis - Hodges#10148
Sympistis griseicollis
Sympistis hayesi - Hodges#10072
Sympistis hayesi
Sympistis helena - Hodges#10118.2
Sympistis helena
Sympistis heterogena - Hodges#10105
Sympistis heterogena
Sympistis homogena - Hodges#10104
Sympistis homogena
Sympistis horus - Hodges#10082.6
Sympistis horus
Sympistis incubus - Hodges#10093.1
Sympistis incubus
Sympistis induta - Hodges#10060
Sympistis induta
Sympistis infixa - Hodges#10065
Sympistis infixa
Sympistis insanina - Hodges#10093.5
Sympistis insanina
Sympistis intruda - Hodges#10137
Sympistis intruda
Sympistis iricolor - Hodges#10092
Sympistis iricolor
Sympistis isis - Hodges#10082.5
Sympistis isis
Sympistis jenniferae - Hodges#10082.3
Sympistis jenniferae
Sympistis kappa - Hodges#10066.2
Sympistis kappa
Sympistis kelsoensis - Hodges#10063.1
Sympistis kelsoensis
Sympistis khem - Hodges#10104.3
Sympistis khem
Sympistis lachrymosa - Hodges#10095.1
Sympistis lachrymosa
Sympistis lacticollis - Hodges#10126
Sympistis lacticollis
Sympistis laticosta - Hodges#10125
Sympistis laticosta
Sympistis levis - Hodges#10093
Sympistis levis
Sympistis linda - Hodges#10086
Sympistis linda
Sympistis mackiei - Hodges#10143
Sympistis mackiei
Sympistis major - Hodges#10135.4
Sympistis major
Sympistis meadiana - Hodges#10098
Sympistis meadiana
Sympistis melalutea - Hodges#10107
Sympistis melalutea
Sympistis melantho - Hodges#10077
Sympistis melantho
Sympistis min - Hodges#10147.3
Sympistis min
Sympistis mirificalis - Hodges#10069
Sympistis mirificalis
Sympistis nigrocaput - Hodges#10127
Sympistis nigrocaput
Sympistis osiris - Hodges#10082.4
Sympistis osiris
Sympistis pachet - Hodges#10139.1
Sympistis pachet
Sympistis pallida - Hodges#10118.1
Sympistis pallida
Sympistis pallidior - Hodges#10130.2
Sympistis pallidior
Sympistis parvanigra - Hodges#10081
Sympistis parvanigra
Sympistis pernotata - Hodges#10102
Sympistis pernotata
Sympistis picina - Hodges#10068.1
Sympistis picina
Sympistis piffardi - Hodges#10123
Sympistis piffardi
Sympistis poliafascies - Hodges#10152
Sympistis poliafascies
Sympistis polingii - Hodges#10103
Sympistis polingii
Sympistis punctilinea - Hodges#10119
Sympistis punctilinea
Sympistis rayata - Hodges#10119.1
Sympistis rayata
Sympistis regina - Hodges#10073
Sympistis regina
Identification: Smith original description in PDF.
Sympistis sagittata - Hodges#10142
Sympistis sagittata
Sympistis sakhmet - Hodges#10094.1
Sympistis sakhmet
Sympistis sandaraca - Hodges#10078
Sympistis sandaraca
Sympistis sanina - Hodges#10094
Sympistis sanina
Sympistis sectilis - Hodges#10149
Sympistis sectilis
Sympistis sectiloides - Hodges#10150
Sympistis sectiloides
Identification: Holotype: USA: Texas, Brownsville.
Sympistis semicollaris - Hodges#10133
Sympistis semicollaris
Sympistis septu - Hodges#10104.4
Sympistis septu
Sympistis seth - Hodges#10093.3
Sympistis seth
Sympistis shirleyae - Hodges#10142.1
Sympistis shirleyae
Sympistis simplex - Hodges#10095
Sympistis simplex
Sympistis sokar - Hodges#10113.2
Sympistis sokar
Sympistis subsimplex - Hodges#10041
Sympistis subsimplex
Sympistis tenuifascia - Hodges#10080
Sympistis tenuifascia
Sympistis tenuistriga - Hodges#10059.1
Sympistis tenuistriga
Sympistis terminalis - Hodges#10085
Sympistis terminalis
Sympistis tetrops - Hodges#10147
Sympistis tetrops
Sympistis umbrifascia - Hodges#10122
Sympistis umbrifascia
Sympistis wilsonensis - Hodges#10110
Sympistis wilsonensis
Sympistis youngi - Hodges#10116
Sympistis youngi
Sympistis zetterstedtii - Hodges#10159
Sympistis zetterstedtii
Synalocha gutierreziae - Hodges#3746.1
Synalocha gutierreziae
Synanthedon arizonensis - Hodges#2574
Synanthedon arizonensis
Synanthedon chrysidipennis - Hodges#2578
Synanthedon chrysidipennis
Synanthedon fulvipes - Hodges#2563
Synanthedon fulvipes
Synanthedon nielseni
Synanthedon nielseni
Synanthedon richardsi - Hodges#2548
Synanthedon richardsi
Synchlora faseolaria - Hodges#7067
Synchlora faseolaria
Synchlora graefiaria - Hodges#7068
Synchlora graefiaria
Synchlora herbaria - Hodges#7061
Synchlora herbaria
Synchlora irregularia - Hodges#7062
Synchlora irregularia
Synchlora noel - Hodges#7063
Synchlora noel
Synchlora pectinaria - Hodges#7066
Synchlora pectinaria
Synchlora xysteraria - Hodges#7060
Synchlora xysteraria
Syngrapha alticola - Hodges#8947
Syngrapha alticola
Syngrapha angulidens - Hodges#8943
Syngrapha angulidens
Syngrapha borea - Hodges#8934
Syngrapha borea
Syngrapha interrogationis - Hodges#8937
Syngrapha interrogationis
Syngrapha microgamma - Hodges#8946
Syngrapha microgamma
Syngrapha montana - Hodges#8945
Syngrapha montana
Syngrapha orophila - Hodges#8930
Syngrapha orophila
Syngrapha sackenii - Hodges#8932
Syngrapha sackenii
Syngrapha surena - Hodges#8938
Syngrapha surena
Syngrapha u-aureum - Hodges#8936
Syngrapha u-aureum
Synorthodes auriginea - Hodges#10590
Synorthodes auriginea
Synorthodes typhedana - Hodges#10591
Synorthodes typhedana
Syssphinx montana - Hodges#7713.1
Syssphinx montana
Syssphinx raspa - Hodges#7714.1
Syssphinx raspa
Tacparia atropunctata - Hodges#6806
Tacparia atropunctata
Tacparia zalissaria - Hodges#6805
Tacparia zalissaria
Taiga Alpine - Hodges#4593.1
Erebia mancinus
Tailed Copper - Hodges#4250
Lycaena arota
Tailed Orange - Hodges#4236
Pyrisitia proterpia
Tailed Sulphur - Hodges#4232
Phoebis neocypris
Tallula baboquivarialis - Hodges#5593
Tallula baboquivarialis