Caterpillars are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera.
The Psychidae are a family of the Lepidoptera. The bagworm family is fairly small, with about 1,350 species described. Bagworm species are found globally, with some, such as the snailcase bagworm, in modern times settling continents where they are not native.
Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is paraphyletic with respect to butterflies and neither subordinate taxon is used in modern classifications. Moths make up the vast majority of the order. There are approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of which have yet to be described. Most species of moth are nocturnal, although there are also crepuscular and diurnal species.
The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek geo γεω, and metron μέτρον "measure" in reference to the way their larvae, or inchworms, appear to measure the earth as they move along in a looping fashion. Geometridae is a very large family, containing around 23,000 described species; over 1400 species from six subfamilies are indigenous to North America alone. A well-known member is the peppered moth, Biston betularia, which has been the subject of numerous studies in population genetics. Several other geometer moths are notorious pests.
The Arctiinae are a large and diverse subfamily of moths with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species. This subfamily includes the groups commonly known as tiger moths, which usually have bright colours, footmen, which are usually much drabber, lichen moths, and wasp moths. Many species have "hairy" caterpillars that are popularly known as woolly bears or woolly worms. The scientific name Arctiinae refers to this hairiness. Some species within the Arctiinae have the word "tussock"' in their common names because they have been misidentified as members of the Lymantriinae subfamily based on the characteristics of the larvae.
The cinnabar moth is a brightly coloured arctiid moth found as a native species in Europe and western and central Asia then east across the Palearctic to Siberia to China. It has been introduced into New Zealand, Australia and North America to control ragwort, on which its larvae feed. The moth is named after the red mineral cinnabar because of the red patches on its predominantly black wings. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Cinnabar moths are about 20 mm (0.79 in) long and have a wingspan of 32–42 mm (1.3–1.7 in).
Gonimbrasia belina is a species of emperor moth which is native to the warmer parts of southern Africa. Its large edible caterpillar, known as the mopane worm, madora, amacimbi “pigeon moth” or masontja, feeds primarily but not exclusively on mopane tree leaves. Mopane worms are an important source of protein for many in the region. The species was first described by John O. Westwood in 1849.
Taleporia tubulosa, the large birch bright, is a small nocturnal moth from the bagworm moth family (Psychidae). It is found locally in Europe, from southern Scotland, through west and central Europe, east up to Russia and the Balkans. In the north it is found in Fennoscandia. In mountainous areas it is found up to heights of 1,800 meters ASL.
Brunia is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae. The genus was erected by Frederic Moore in 1878.
Halone is a genus of moths in the subfamily Arctiinae from southern Asia and Australia. The genus was erected by Francis Walker in 1854.
The Aganainae are a small subfamily of moths in the family Erebidae. The adults and caterpillars of this subfamily are typically large and brightly colored, like the related tiger moths. Many of the caterpillars feed on poisonous host plants and acquire toxic cardenolides that make them unpleasant to predators. Like the closely related litter moths, the adults have long, upturned labial palps, and the caterpillars have fully or mostly developed prolegs on the abdomen. The Aganainae are distributed across the tropics and subtropics of the Old World.
Manulea is a genus of moths in the family Erebidae erected by Hans Daniel Johan Wallengren in 1863. The type species is Lithosia gilveola Ochsenheimer, 1810.
The Australian bagmoth or lichen bag moth is a moth of the Psychidae family. It is found in New Zealand and the southern half of Australia.
Pingasa chlora, the white looper moth or flower-eating caterpillar, is a species of moth of the family Geometridae first described by Caspar Stoll in 1782. It is found in Sundaland, the Philippines, Sulawesi and from the Moluccas to Queensland, Australia.
Brunia antica is a moth of the family Erebidae described by Francis Walker in 1854. It is found from the Indian subregion, Sri Lanka to China, the Ryukyu Islands, the Chagos Archipelago, the Nicobar Islands and Sundaland.
Anestia ombrophanes, the clouded footman, is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. The species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1886. It is known from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia.
Lyclene structa is a species of moth of the subfamily Arctiinae first described by Francis Walker in 1854. It is found in the southern half of Australia.
Brunia gibonica is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Karel Černý in 2009. It is found in Thailand and southern Vietnam.
The Lithosiina are a subtribe of lichen moths in the family Erebidae. The taxon was erected by Gustaf Johan Billberg in 1820.
Declana egregia, commonly called the South Island lichen moth or zebra lichen moth, is a moth in the family Geometridae, endemic to New Zealand. This species was first described by entomologists Baron Cajetan von Felder and Alois Friedrich Rogenhofer in 1875 under the name Chlenias egregia.
