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)
Scythris inertella
Scythris inertella
Scythris interrupta
Scythris interrupta
Scythropiodes approximans
Scythropiodes approximans
Scythropiodes hamatellus
Scythropiodes hamatellus
Scythropiodes leucostola
Scythropiodes leucostola
Scythropiodes lividula
Scythropiodes lividula
Scythropiodes malivora
Scythropiodes malivora
Stathmopoda auriferella
Stathmopoda auriferella
Stathmopoda centihasta
Stathmopoda centihasta
Stathmopoda fusciumeraris
Stathmopoda fusciumeraris
Stathmopoda megathyma
Stathmopoda megathyma
Stathmopoda opticaspis
Stathmopoda opticaspis
Stathmopoda paradiplaspis
Stathmopoda paradiplaspis
Stathmopoda stimulata
Stathmopoda stimulata
Stathmopoda triselena
Stathmopoda triselena
Stathmopoda tritophaea
Stathmopoda tritophaea
Striglina cancellata
Striglina cancellata
Syncallia stellata
Syncallia stellata
Syngria druidaria
Syngria druidaria
Tagora loeffleri
Tagora loeffleri
Tapuia sericea
Tapuia sericea
Targalla plumbea
Targalla plumbea
Thoscora ribbei
Thoscora ribbei
Tinagma anchusella
Tinagma anchusella
Tinagma balteolellum
Tinagma balteolellum
Tinagma bledella
Tinagma bledella
Tinagma brunneofasciatum
Tinagma brunneofasciatum
Tinagma californicum
Tinagma californicum
Tinagma grisecens
Tinagma grisecens
Tinagma hedemanni
Tinagma hedemanni
Tinagma minutissima
Tinagma minutissima
Tinagma perdicella
Tinagma perdicella
Tinagma powelli
Tinagma powelli
Tinagma pulverilinea
Tinagma pulverilinea
Tinea incredibilis
Tinea incredibilis
Tinea monophthalma
Tinea monophthalma
Tinea unidentified-one
Tinea unidentified-one
Tischeria decidua
Tischeria decidua
Torodora gemella
Torodora gemella
Urodus calligera
Urodus calligera
Urodus cumulata
Urodus cumulata
Urodus hexacentris
Urodus hexacentris
Urodus mirella
Urodus mirella
Urodus ovata
Urodus ovata
Urodus sordidata
Urodus sordidata
Urodus xylophila
Urodus xylophila
Wockia chewbacca
Wockia chewbacca
Wockia koreana
Wockia koreana
Wockia magna
Wockia magna
Wockia mexicana
Wockia mexicana
88 Butterfly - Hodges#4535
Diaethria clymena
Abablemma brimleyana - Hodges#8437
Abablemma brimleyana
Abagrotis alampeta - Hodges#11025
Abagrotis alampeta
Abagrotis apposita - Hodges#11037
Abagrotis apposita
Abagrotis belfragei - Hodges#11046
Abagrotis belfragei
Abagrotis benjamini - Hodges#11024.1
Abagrotis benjamini
Abagrotis bimarginalis - Hodges#11017
Abagrotis bimarginalis
Abagrotis brunneipennis - Hodges#11044
Abagrotis brunneipennis
Abagrotis erratica - Hodges#11013
Abagrotis erratica
Abagrotis forbesi - Hodges#11029.2
Abagrotis forbesi
Abagrotis hennei - Hodges#11023
Abagrotis hennei
Abagrotis hermina - Hodges#11030.1
Abagrotis hermina
Abagrotis kirkwoodi - Hodges#11014
Abagrotis kirkwoodi
Abagrotis magnicupida - Hodges#11043.1
Abagrotis magnicupida
Abagrotis mexicana - Hodges#11029.1
Abagrotis mexicana
Abagrotis rubricundis - Hodges#11020
Abagrotis rubricundis
Abagrotis scopeops - Hodges#11033
Abagrotis scopeops
Abagrotis trigona - Hodges#11018
Abagrotis trigona
Abagrotis turbulenta - Hodges#11030
Abagrotis turbulenta
Abagrotis vittifrons - Hodges#11016
Abagrotis vittifrons
Abbott's Sphinx Moth
Sphecodina abbottii
Abbreviated Button Slug Moth
Tortricidia flexuosa
Abbreviated Underwing Moth - Hodges#8841
Catocala abbreviatella
Abegesta reluctalis - Hodges#4866
Abegesta reluctalis
Abrenthia cuprea - Hodges#2336
Abrenthia cuprea
Abrostola parvula - Hodges#8882
Abrostola parvula
Abrupt Epiblema - Hodges#3173
Epiblema abruptana
Acacia Skipper - Hodges#3922
Cogia hippalus
Acallis alticolalis - Hodges#5543
Acallis alticolalis
Acalyptris lotella - Hodges#0114.1
Acalyptris lotella
Acanthopteroctetes aurulenta - Hodges#0017.1
Acanthopteroctetes aurulenta
Acanthopteroctetes unifascia - Hodges#0017
Acanthopteroctetes unifascia
Acanthotoca graefii - Hodges#6920
Acanthotoca graefii
Acharia extensa - Hodges#4700.1
Acharia extensa
Achemon Sphinx Moth
Eumorpha achemon
Achyra bifidalis - Hodges#4974
Achyra bifidalis
Acleris aenigmana - Hodges#3554
Acleris aenigmana
Acleris albinivia - Hodges#3530.1
Acleris albinivia
Acleris braunana - Hodges#3518
Acleris braunana
Acleris busckana - Hodges#3558
Acleris busckana
Acleris caliginosana - Hodges#3508
Acleris caliginosana
Acleris comandrana - Hodges#3516
Acleris comandrana
Acleris cornana - Hodges#3523
Acleris cornana
Acleris fragariana - Hodges#3532
Acleris fragariana
Acleris hudsoniana - Hodges#3561
Acleris hudsoniana
Acleris inana of authors (not Robinson, 1869) - Hodges#3551.01
Acleris inana-of-authors
Acleris kearfottana - Hodges#3519
Acleris kearfottana
Acleris keiferi - Hodges#3535
Acleris keiferi
Acleris maximana - Hodges#3557
Acleris maximana
Acleris negundana - Hodges#3526
Acleris negundana