Moths (Please do not post or move any new images to this page - see Info)

Unidentified adult images should stay on ID Request until moved to a Family page or deeper.

Unidentified larva images should be placed on the base Lepidoptera page. Thank you**

BugGuide currently follows the classification found at ZooKeys. An updated list can be found in the "Latin Name Index" at MPG here. (Click on "Download current MPG checklist file" near the middle of the page.)

See discussion on forum here which is an update to the discussion here for more information.

Markku Savela's Lepidoptera site is invaluable for synonyms, links to original literature, distributions south of the border, and numbers of spp. Search by genus or genus species.

The related word "motte" in German shows that "moth" was inherited from the ancestral language that gave rise to both German and English. The Old English form was "moþþe" ("moththe" after converting the Old English letter thorn). The original meaning is unclear; mothhthe is perhaps related to maggot (older Germanic forms mado, made) and/or midge (Patridge, 1958; Wiktionary--moth; Wikipedia--Moth-etymology). It seems likely that the original meaning referred to moth caterpillars, and it may have referred, in particular, to human commensals such as Tineola bisselliella, the Webbing Clothes Moth.

About 11,000 described species in about 70 families in North America (plus many more undescribed species of mostly micromoths)

About 165,000 described species in the world

Wingspan of North American species ranges from about 2-3 mm in the tiniest micromoths, to more than 150 mm in the largest silk, sphinx, and owlet moths; some tropical species have wingspans of more than 250 mm (see Largest Lepidopteran Wing Span)

Adults (imagos) usually have feathery, thickened, or threadlike antennae (not knobbed or hooked, as in butterflies and skippers), and most species are active at night. At rest, many species hold their wings out horizontally, or hugged over/around the abdomen. Rarely, the wings are held together vertically above the body, as butterflies do.

Larvae (caterpillars) have a hardened head capsule and a fleshy body composed of a thorax bearing three pairs of legs, and an elongated cylindrical abdomen bearing from zero to five pairs of prolegs (short fleshy ventral projections used for clinging or walking). The body may be either uniformly colored or patterned with stripes, bands, or spots; the surface may be smooth, or may be sparsely or densely covered with short or long hairs, tufts of hair, spines, knobs, or other features.

For a start on identification of moth families, see:

    

    

OVERVIEW OF SUPERFAMILIES (ADULTS)

Note: this is not a comprehensive guide to all moth species in the United States and Canada. The images shown here merely serve to provide a general idea as to the "shape" and diversity of the 32 moth superfamilies in our area. Please post unknown moth images at "ID Request" if the superfamily is unknown.

cosmopolitan

larvae may be found anywhere on their host plant, from underground on or inside the roots, to the highest leaves of tall trees; a few species are aquatic, developing on or in standing or running water

adults are generally found near the larval host plant; many species are attracted to artificial light. Essentially a group of nocturnal insects but there are some diurnal species; see Internet Reference (TT).

active spring through fall outdoors; in some species, overwintering adults may occasionally become active on warm sunny days in winter

species considered household pests may be active all year indoors

depending on species, larvae may feed on all parts of herbaceous plants, roots/twigs/stems/leaves of trees and shrubs, fungi, lichens, dead or decaying plant material, stored food products, fabrics made of cotton or wool, or generally any organic material; many species are very host-specific, and can be identified by the plant they are feeding on; larvae of a few species are known to eat other caterpillars, and a few other species eat soft-bodied insects such as aphids

most adults feed mainly on nectar from flowers of a great variety of woody and herbaceous plants; secondary foods include sugary secretions (honeydew) from insects, juices of decaying fruit, tree sap, and manure liquids; adult moths in several families have either no mouthparts or non-functional mouthparts, and therefore do not feed as adults.

World's Database of caterpillar hostplants.

These insects undergo complete metamorphosis, that is, the young go through four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Many species have one generation per year; others may have from two to several generations; a few species take more than one year to develop. Depending on species, moths may overwinter as an egg, larva, pupa, or adult. Adult lifespan ranges from as short as a few days (in ghost moths) up to several months in species that overwinter as an adult.

Modern cladistic analysis using DNA evidence shows that butterflies probably evolved from within the moths, most likely in or near the Superfamily Geometroidea.

Although dividing Lepidoptera into butterflies and moths may not be scientifically accurate, it's easier for non-scientists to understand, and it's still useful in many ways, so we've kept it.