Family overview
Slim-bodied moths that rest with wings spread flat. Larvae have only 2 pairs of prolegs (vs 4-5 in most caterpillars) — they 'inch' or 'loop' as they walk.
Peppered moth is a textbook example of evolution in action — dark forms became common during the Industrial Revolution.
At a glance
Family facts.
Distribution
Worldwide
Habitat
Terrestrial
Approx. species
23,000
Notable members
Fall cankerworm, winter moth, peppered moth (famous in industrial melanism studies)