Microlepidoptera - Main Groups

Main Groups

The list below is ordered initially in approximate order of species diversity and ecological abundance. The first four superfamilies listed here may comprise 90% of species in a sample of smaller moths and the listed characters may be of some assistance to sort these out, particularly the form of the labial palp and scaling of the proboscis (Robinson et al. 2001).

1. Curved horn moths, twirler moths, case-bearers and allies. 16,250 spp.

• Gelechioidea Head smooth-scaled, labial palps usually are slender, recurved, with the terminal segment long and pointed; the long proboscis bears scales on basal half. Resting posture very varied.
  • Gelechiidae Twirler moths
  • Oecophoridae Concealer moths
  • Lecithoceridae Tropical longhorned moths
  • Cosmopterigidae Cosmet Moths
  • Coleophoridae Case-bearers
  • Elachistidae Grass-miner miners
  • Momphidae Mompha moths
  • Ethmiidae
  • Blastobasidae Scavenger moths
  • Batrachedridae Flower moths
  • Scythrididae Flower moths
  • Pterolonchidae Lance-wing moths
  • Symmocidae
  • Agonoxenidae Palm moths
  • Holcopogonidae
  • Metachandidae

2. Pyralids, snout moths and grass moths. 16,000 spp.

• Pyraloidea Head rough-scaled, proboscis scaled, tympanal organs on abdomen; labial palps usually not recurved, terminal segment usually blunt. Hindwing veins ("Sc" + "R1") and "Rs" are close or fused in the middle of the wing; resting posture usually either with wings tightly rolled or and held quite flat to surface in triangular shape and with labial palps often projecting forward, giving Concorde-like appearance; antennae often swept back parallel together over body. Generally they are considered the closest group to 'Macrolepidoptera', and maybe ancestral to it, macrolepidoptera itself is not a universally accepted taxon.
  • Pyralidae Pyrales or snout moths
  • Crambidae Grass moths

3. Tortrix moths, leaf-roller moths, bell moths, codling moths and allies. 6,200 spp.

• Tortricidae Head rough-scaled, labial palps with short blunt apical segment, basal half of proboscis not scaled; wings held over back in tent-like or flattened position; forewing costa often quite strongly convex or sinuate in many Tortricinae giving bell-like shape

4. Clothes moths, bagworms and allies. 4,200 spp.

• Tineoidea Head often with tufty erect scales; labial palps usually have bristles on middle segment and terminal segment is long; wings usually held over back in tent-like position and head close to surface; tineids often run fast
  • Tineidae Clothes moths and fungus moths
  • Eriocottidae Old World spiny winged moths
  • Acrolophidae Tube moths
  • Arrhenophanidae Tropical lattice moths
  • Psychidae Bagworm moths
  • Lypusidae European bagworm moths

5, 6. Leaf miner moths. 3,200 spp.

• Gracillarioidea 2,300 spp.
  • Gracillariidae Blotch leaf miner moths
  • Bucculatricidae Ribbed cocoon makers
  • Douglasiidae Douglas moths
  • Roeslerstammiidae Double-eye moths
• Nepticuloidea 900 spp. Eyecap moths
  • Nepticulidae Pygmy eyecap moths
  • Opostegidae White eyecap moths

7. Ermine moths, webworm moths, yucca moths and allies. 1,500 spp.

• Yponomeutoidea
  • Yponomeutidae Ermine moths
  • Acrolepiidae False Diamond-back moths
  • Ypsolophidae
  • Plutellidae Diamond-back moths and allies
  • Glyphipterigidae Sedge moths
  • Heliodinidae Sun moths
  • Bedelliidae
  • Lyonetiidae Lyonet moths

8, 9. Plume moths. 1,160 spp.

• Pterophoridae Plume moths. 1,000 spp.
• Alucitidae Many-plumed moths. 160 spp.

10. Tropical leaf moths or picture-winged moths. >1000 spp.

• Thyrididae

Small mainly dayflying moths:

11. Fairy moths, longhorn moths and allies. 600 spp.

• Incurvarioidea
  • Incurvariidae Leaf-cutter moths
  • Adelidae Fairy moths
  • Heliozelidae Shield-bearer leaf-miners
  • Prodoxidae Yucca moths
  • Cecidosidae Gall moths
  • Crinopterygidae Cistus case bearer moth

12. Metalmark moths. 402 spp.

• Choreutidae

13. Mandibulate archaic moths. 180 spp.

• Micropterigidae

14. Sparkling archaic sun moths or spring jewel moths. 24 spp.

• Eriocraniidae

Superfamilies less likely to be encountered:

15. Tropical fruitworm moths. 318 spp.

• Copromorphoidea
  • Copromorphidae
  • Carposinidae

16. Fringe tufted moths. 83 spp.

• Epermeniidae

17. Blackberry leaf skeletonizer and allies. 8 spp.

• Schreckensteiniidae

18. Immid moths. 250 spp.

• Immidae

19. False burnet moths. 60 spp.

• Urodidae

20. Tropical teak moths. 20 spp.

• Hyblaeidae

21. Whalley's Malagasy moths. 2 spp.

• Whalleyanidae

More rarely encountered "primitive" families:

22. Kauri pine moths. 2 spp.

• Agathiphagidae

22. Southern beech moths or Valdivian archaic moths. 9 spp.

• Heterobathmiidae

23. Archaic sun moths. 4 spp.

• Acanthopteroctetidae

24. Australian archaic sun moths. 6 spp.

• Lophocoronidae

25. Archaic bell moths. 12 spp.

• Neopseustidae

26. New Zealand endemic moths. 7 spp.

• Mnesarchaeidae

27. Gondwanaland moths. 60 spp.

• Palaephatidae

28. Trumpet leaf miner moths. 107 spp.

• Tischeriidae

29. Simaethistid moths. 4 spp.

• Simaethistidae

30. Galacticoid moths or webworm moths. 17 spp.

• Galacticidae