Z.
← Gallery II · The Orders

No. 02 · Holometabolous

Butterflies & Moths

Lepidoptera

~180,000
Described species
~140
Families

Introduction

Lepidoptera is the second-largest insect order, defined by scaled wings. Butterflies are a small subset (~18,500 species); the rest are moths.

Butterflies: clubbed antennae, diurnal, wings folded up at rest, slender body. Moths: feathery antennae, nocturnal, wings flat or tent-like, stout and often fuzzy body.

Field marks

Key ID traits.

Wings covered in tiny overlapping scales that rub off as powder. Long coiled proboscis. Larvae are caterpillars. Antennae clubbed in butterflies, feathery or thread-like in moths.

Etymology

Greek lepis 'scale' + pteron 'wing'

Wings

Winged

Diet

Herbivore · Nectar/Pollen

Habitat

Terrestrial

Notable examples

Monarch butterfly, swallowtails, luna moth, hawk moths, silk moths, skippers, sphinx moths.

Where to look

Imagery & ID.