Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran suborder Rhopalocera, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises the superfamilies Hedyloidea and Papilionoidea. The oldest butterfly fossils have been dated to the Paleocene, about 56 million years ago, though they may have originated earlier.
Lepidoptera or lepidopterans is an order of winged insects that includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organisms, making it the second largest insect order with 126 families and 46 superfamilies. and one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world.
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 Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other families of the Noctuoidea. It was considered the largest family in Lepidoptera for a long time, but after regrouping Lymantriinae, Catocalinae and Calpinae within the family Erebidae, the latter holds this title now. Currently, Noctuidae is the second largest family in Noctuoidea, with about 1,089 genera and 11,772 species. This classification is still contingent, as more changes continue to appear between Noctuidae and Erebidae.
Coelolepida is a clade of insects in the lepidopteran order, containing the infraorders Acanthoctesia and Lophocoronina.
Carposinidae, the "fruitworm moths", is a family of insects in the order Lepidoptera. These moths are narrower winged than Copromorphidae, with less rounded forewing tips. Males often have conspicuous patches of scales on either surface. The mouthparts are quite diagnostic, usually with prominent, upcurved "labial palps", the third segment long, and the second segment covered in large scales. Unlike Copromorphidae, the "M2" and sometimes "M1" vein on the hindwings is absent. The relationship of Carposinidae relative to Copromorphidae needs further investigation. It is considered possible that the family is artificial, being nested within Copromorphidae. The Palearctic species have been revised by Alexey Diakonoff (1989).
The Phaegopterina are a subtribe of tiger moths in the tribe Arctiini, which is part of the family Erebidae. The subtribe was described by William Forsell Kirby in 1892. 469 species of Phaegopterina are present and 52 that are recently discovered in Brazil.
The Herminiinae are a subfamily of moths in the family Erebidae. The members of the subfamily are called litter moths because the caterpillars of most members feed on dead leaves of plants, though others feed on living leaves, and/or the mushrooms of fungi as in the case of genus Idia.
Myoglossata is a clade within suborder Glossata within order Lepidoptera, the butterflies and moths. It contains the family Neopseustidae and the clade Neolepidoptera. Myoglossata is considered a clade, that is, a group of organisms made up of a single common ancestor and all of its descendants. They are distinguished by "intrinsic mouthparts". These added intrinsic galeal muscles are unique to the Myoglossata and developed after the galeae changed to form sucking parts.
Caristanius decoloralis is a moth of the family Pyralidae described by Francis Walker in 1863. It is native to North America, where it has been recorded from North Carolina, Florida and eastern Texas. It is an introduced species in Hawaii.
The Erebinae are a subfamily of moths in the family Erebidae erected by William Elford Leach in 1815. Erebine moths are found on all continents except Antarctica, but reach their greatest diversity in the tropics. While the exact number of species belonging to the Erebinae is not known, the subfamily is estimated to include around 10,000 species. Some well-known Erebinae include underwing moths (Catocala) and witch moths (Thermesiini). Many of the species in the subfamily have medium to large wingspans, up to nearly 30 cm in the white witch moth, which has the widest wingspan of all Lepidoptera. Erebine caterpillars feed on a broad range of plants; many species feed on grasses and legumes, and a few are pests of castor bean, sugarcane, rice, as well as pistachios and blackberries.
Caristanius is a genus of snout moths described by Carl Heinrich in 1956.
Caristanius pellucidella is a species of snout moth in the genus Caristanius. It was described by Ragonot in 1889 and is known from Puerto Rico.
Caristanius guatemalella is a species of snout moth in the genus Caristanius. It was described by Émile Louis Ragonot in 1888. It is found in Guatemala.
Caristanius tripartitus is a species of snout moth in the genus Caristanius. It was described by Herbert H. Neunzig in 1996, and is known from the Dominican Republic.
Caristanius veracruzensis is a species of snout moth in the genus Caristanius. It was described by Herbert H. Neunzig in 2004, and is known from Veracruz, Mexico.
The Global Lepidoptera Names Index (LepIndex) is a searchable database maintained by the Department of Entomology at the Natural History Museum, London. It is based on card indices and scanned journals, nomenclatural catalogues and the Zoological Record. It contains most of world's Lepidoptera names published until 1981 and for some groups is up to date. As of May 2023, the site reads "Database last updated January 2018" so the current validity of the taxonomic combinations presented should be adopted with caution.
The following are the regional Lepidoptera lists by continent. Lepidoptera is the insect order consisting of both the butterflies and moths.
The Zeuzerinae are a subfamily of the family Cossidae.
Gaius Caristanius Fronto was a Roman soldier and equites whom Vespasian promoted to the Roman Senate for his loyalty to the latter in the Year of Four Emperors. He was appointed suffect consul in AD 90 as the colleague of Quintus Accaeus Rufus.
