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)
Common Mestra Butterfly
Mestra amymone
Common Metarranthis - Hodges#6826
Metarranthis hypochraria
Common Oak Moth
Phoberia atomaris
Common Petrophora Moth - Hodges#6803
Petrophora divisata
Common Ringlet Butterfly
Coenonympha tullia
Common Roadside-Skipper
Amblyscirtes vialis
Common Sootywing Skipper
Pholisora catullus
Common Spragueia
Spragueia leo
Common Spring Moth
Heliomata cycladata
Common Streaky-Skipper - Hodges#3975
Celotes nessus
Common Tan Wave Moth
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Common Wood-Nymph
Cercyonis pegala
Compacta hirtalis - Hodges#5234
Compacta hirtalis
Compacta hirtaloides - Hodges#5235
Compacta hirtaloides
Compsolechia crescentifasciella - Hodges#2252
Compsolechia crescentifasciella
Compton Tortoiseshell Butterfly
Nymphalis l-album
Comstock's Plume Moth - Hodges#6111
Platyptilia comstocki
Conchylodes diphteralis - Hodges#5290
Conchylodes diphteralis
Condica claufacta - Hodges#9700
Condica claufacta
Condica concisa - Hodges#9698
Condica concisa
Condica egestis - Hodges#9710
Condica egestis
Condica leucorena - Hodges#9705
Condica leucorena
Condica luxuriosa - Hodges#9695.1
Condica luxuriosa
Condica orta - Hodges#9697
Condica orta
Condica parista - Hodges#9702.2
Condica parista
Condica punctifera - Hodges#9701.1
Condica punctifera
Confused Cloudywing - Hodges#3913
Thorybes confusis
Confused Eusarca
Eusarca confusaria
Confused Haploa Moth
Haploa confusa
Confused Woodgrain
Morrisonia confusa
Connected Looper - Hodges#8952
Plusia contexta
Consobrina Darkwing Moth - Hodges#8724
Gondysia consobrina
Contiger vittatalis - Hodges#4752
Contiger vittatalis
Convolvulus Skeletoniser
Bedellia psamminella
Cooley's Plume Moth - Hodges#6138
Paraplatyptilia cooleyi
Copablepharon sanctaemonicae - Hodges#10691
Copablepharon sanctaemonicae
Copanarta aurea - Hodges#10169
Copanarta aurea
Copanarta sexpunctata - Hodges#10168
Copanarta sexpunctata
Copibryophila angelica - Hodges#9073
Copibryophila angelica
Copper Underwing
Amphipyra pyramidoides
Coptodisca arbutiella - Hodges#0255
Coptodisca arbutiella
Coptodisca cercocarpella - Hodges#0258
Coptodisca cercocarpella
Coptodisca diospyriella - Hodges#0244
Coptodisca diospyriella
Coptodisca juglandiella - Hodges#0248
Coptodisca juglandiella
Coptodisca kalmiella - Hodges#0256
Coptodisca kalmiella
Coptodisca magnella - Hodges#0249
Coptodisca magnella
Coptodisca matheri - Hodges#0250
Coptodisca matheri
Coptodisca negligens - Hodges#0251
Coptodisca negligens
Coptodisca ostryaefoliella - Hodges#0252
Coptodisca ostryaefoliella
Coptodisca powellella - Hodges#0260
Coptodisca powellella
Coptodisca saliciella - Hodges#0253
Coptodisca saliciella
Coptodisca splendoriferella - Hodges#0254
Coptodisca splendoriferella
Coptodisca undescribed-species-on-conocarpus-erectus
Coptodisca undescribed-species-on-conocarpus-erectus
Coptotriche agrimoniella - Hodges#0148
Coptotriche agrimoniella
Coptotriche badiiella - Hodges#0129
Coptotriche badiiella
Coptotriche castaneaeella - Hodges#0140
Coptotriche castaneaeella
Coptotriche clemensella
Coptotriche clemensella
Coptotriche consanguinea - Hodges#0128
Coptotriche consanguinea
Coptotriche crataegifoliae - Hodges#0146
Coptotriche crataegifoliae
Coptotriche fuscomarginella - Hodges#0139
Coptotriche fuscomarginella
Coptotriche mediostriata - Hodges#0127
Coptotriche mediostriata
Coptotriche purinosella - Hodges#0135
Coptotriche purinosella
Coptotriche zelleriella - Hodges#0143
Coptotriche zelleriella
Coral Hairstreak Butterfly
Satyrium titus
Cordovan Pyralid - Hodges#5672
Acrobasis exsulella
Corn Earworm Moth
Helicoverpa zea
Cornifrons phasma - Hodges#4923
Cornifrons phasma
Coronis Fritillary - Hodges#4455
Speyeria coronis
Corticivora chica - Hodges#3446.1
Corticivora chica
Corticivora clarki - Hodges#3446
Corticivora clarki
Corticivora parva - Hodges#3446.2
Corticivora parva
Corythophora aurea - Hodges#0476
Corythophora aurea
Cosmopterix attenuatella - Hodges#1474
Cosmopterix attenuatella
Cosmopterix callichalca - Hodges#1481
Cosmopterix callichalca
Identification: See description and figures here .
Cosmopterix chisosensis - Hodges#1484
Cosmopterix chisosensis
Identification: See description and figures here .
Cosmopterix clandestinella - Hodges#1475
Cosmopterix clandestinella
Identification: See description and figures here .
Cosmopterix damnosa - Hodges#1492
Cosmopterix damnosa
Identification: See description and figures here .
Cosmopterix dapifera - Hodges#1479
Cosmopterix dapifera
Identification: See description and figures here .
Cosmopterix delicatella - Hodges#1480
Cosmopterix delicatella
Identification: See description and figures here .
Cosmopterix fernaldella - Hodges#1496
Cosmopterix fernaldella
Identification: See description and figures here .
Cosmopterix floridanella - Hodges#1497
Cosmopterix floridanella
Identification: See description and figures here .
Cosmopterix lespedezae - Hodges#1482
Cosmopterix lespedezae
Identification: See description and figures here .
Cosmopterix magophila - Hodges#1477
Cosmopterix magophila
Cosmopterix minutella - Hodges#1486
Cosmopterix minutella
Identification: See description and figures here .
Cosmopterix quadrilineella - Hodges#1485
Cosmopterix quadrilineella
Identification: See description and figures here .
Cosmopterix scirpicola - Hodges#1494
Cosmopterix scirpicola
Cosmopterix teligera - Hodges#1487
Cosmopterix teligera
Identification: See description and figures here .
Cosmopterix thelxinoe - Hodges#1498.1
Cosmopterix thelxinoe
Identification: See description and figures here .
Cosmosoma achemon - Hodges#8280.1
Cosmosoma achemon
Cosmosoma festiva - Hodges#8278
Cosmosoma festiva
Cottonwood Leafminer Moth - Hodges#0475
Paraleucoptera albella
Cotundra Blue - Hodges#4381.1
Plebejus cotundra
Cow Parsnip Borer Moth - Hodges#9472
Papaipema harrisii
Coxina hadenoides - Hodges#8662.1
Coxina hadenoides
Coyote Brush Borer - Hodges#6211
Hellinsia grandis
Crambid Snout Moth
Glaphyria cappsi or Glaphyria fulminalis
Crambid Snout Moth
Herpetogramma sphingealis
Crambidia dusca - Hodges#8047
Crambidia dusca
Crambini-incertae-sedis dimidiatellus - Hodges#5388
Crambini-incertae-sedis dimidiatellus
Crambus ainslieellus - Hodges#5354
Crambus ainslieellus