Lepidopteran diversity

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180,000 species of Lepidoptera are described, equivalent to 10% of the total described species of living organisms. [1] This is a list of the diversity of the Lepidoptera showing the estimated number of genera and species described for each superfamily and, where available, family. See Lepidoptera for a note of the schedule of families used.

Superfamily Family Genera Species
Micropterigiodea Micropterigidae 6182
Agathiphagoidea Agathiphagidae 12
Heterobathmioidea Heterobathmiidae 19
Eriocranioidea Eriocraniidae 625
Acanthopteroctedoidea Acanthopteroctetidae 25
Lophocoronoidea Lophocoronidae 16
Neopseustoidea Neopseustidae 310
Mnesarchaeoidea Mnesarchaeidae 114
Hepialoidea  68630
  Anomosetidae 11
  Hepialidae 61606
  Neotheoridae 11
  Palaeosetidae 47
  Prototheoridae 115
Nepticuloidea  291,076
  Nepticulidae 22862
  Opostegidae 7214
Adeloidea  72598
  Adelidae
  Cecidosidae
  Heliozelidae
  Incurvariidae
  Prodoxidae 1280
Palaephatoidea Palaephatidae 760
Tischerioidea Tischeriidae 5110
Simaethistoidea Simaethistidae 24
Tineoidea  4064,352
  Acrolophidae 300
  Arrhenophanidae 526
  Eriocottidae
  Lypusidae
  Psychidae
  Tineidae 3203,000
Gracillarioidea  902,315
  Bucculatricidae
  Douglasiidae
  Gracillariidae 752,000
  Roeslerstammiidae
Yponomeutoidea  831,578
  Acrolepiidae
  Bedelliidae
  Glyphipterigidae 384
  Heliodinidae
  Lyonetiidae
  Plutellidae 100
  Yponomeutidae 600
  Ypsolophidae
Gelechioidea  1,39015,966
  Agonoxenidae
  Batrachedridae
  Blastobasidae
  Coleophoridae 431,418
  Cosmopterigidae 1061,628
  Elachistidae 1653,270
  Ethmiidae
  Gelechiidae 5074,530
  Holcopogonidae
  Lecithoceridae
  Metachandidae
  Momphidae
  Oecophoridae
  Pterolonchidae
  Scythrididae
  Symmocidae
Galacticoidea Galacticidae 317
Zygaenoidea  982,700
  Aididae
  Anomoeotidae
  Cyclotornidae 15
  Dalceridae
  Epipyropidae
  Heterogynidae
  Himantopteridae
  Lacturidae
  Limacodidae 1,100
  Megalopygidae
  Somabrachyidae
  Zygaenidae
Cossoidea  114676
  Cossidae 113670
  Dudgeoneidae 1
Sesioidea  1491,360
  Brachodidae 150
  Castniidae
  Sesiidae 1491,362
Choreutoidea Choreutidae 12405
Tortricoidea Tortricidae 7556,338
Urodoidea462
  Urodidae 360
  Ustyurtiidae 12 [2]
Schreckensteinioidea Schreckensteiniidae 412
Epermenioidea Epermeniidae 583
Alucitoidea  15158
  Alucitidae 130
  Tineodidae
Pterophoroidea Pterophoridae 73986
Whalleyanoidea Whalleyanidae 12
Immoidea Immidae 6246
Copromorphoidea  29318
  Carposinidae
  Copromorphidae
Hyblaeoidea Hyblaeidae 218
Pyraloidea [3]  2,09215,576
  Crambidae 1,01510,094
  Pyralidae 1,0775,900
Thyridoidea Thyrididae 121,220
Mimallonoidea Mimallonidae [4] 41291
Lasiocampoidea  1581,575
  Anthelidae
  Lasiocampidae 1501,500
Bombycoidea  4663,425
  Bombycidae
  Brahmaeidae
  Carthaeidae
  Endromidae
  Eupterotidae
  Lemoniidae
  Mirinidae
  Saturniidae 1651,480
  Sphingidae 2001,200
Cimelioidea Cimeliidae 26
Calliduloidea Callidulidae 860
Hedyloidea Hedylidae 140
Hesperioidea Hesperiidae 5503,500
Papilionoidea  1,40014,000
  Lycaenidae 5664,698
  Nymphalidae 6335,698
  Papilionidae 26605
  Pieridae 741,051
  Riodinidae 1401,250
Drepanoidea  129675
  Drepanidae 123665
Geometroidea  2,10723,748 [5]
  Epicopeiidae 920
  Geometridae 2,00223,002
  Sematuridae 640
  Uraniidae 90686
Noctuoidea  7,25070,000
  Arctiidae 11,000
  Doidae
  Erebidae 1,76024,569 [5]
  Euteliidae 29520 [5]
  Lymantriidae 3602,500
  Noctuidae 1,08911,772 [5]
  Nolidae 1861,738 [5]
  Notodontidae 7043,800 [5]
  Oenosandridae 48 [5]
  Pantheidae

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crambidae</span> Family of moths

Crambidae comprises the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, with the nominal subfamily Crambinae taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies include brightly coloured and patterned insects that rest in wing-spread attitudes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ditrysia</span> Suborder of moths and butterflies

The Ditrysia are a natural group or clade of insects in the lepidopteran order containing both butterflies and moths. They are so named because the female has two distinct sexual openings: one for mating, and the other for laying eggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drepanidae</span> Family containing the hook-tip moths

The Drepanidae are a family of moths with about 660 species described worldwide. They are generally divided in three subfamilies, which share the same type of hearing organ. Thyatirinae, previously often placed in their own family, bear a superficial resemblance to Noctuidae. Many species in the drepanid family have a distinctively hook-shaped apex to the fore wing, leading to their common name of hook-tips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schreckensteiniidae</span> Family of moths

Schreckensteinioidea is a superfamily in the insect order Lepidoptera containing a single family, Schreckensteiniidae, or "bristle-legged moths", because of the stout spines on the hindlegs. The superfamily and family were both described by Thomas Bainbrigge Fletcher in 1929. The relationships of this family within the group apoditrysia are currently uncertain. One of the species, the blackberry skeletoniser, is widespread and common across Europe and has been introduced as a biological control to Hawaii, whilst three species of Corsocasis occur in South East Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyraloidea</span> Superfamily of moths

The Pyraloidea are a moth superfamily containing about 16,000 described species worldwide, and probably at least as many more remain to be described. They are generally fairly small moths, and as such, they have been traditionally associated with the paraphyletic Microlepidoptera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mimallonidae</span> Family of moths

Mimallonidae Burmeister (mimallonids), sometimes known as "sack-bearer" moths for the larval case-building behavior, are a family of Lepidoptera containing over 300 named species in 43 genera. These moths are found only in the New World, with most taxa occurring in the Neotropics. Adult moths are externally similar to those belonging to some of the other Macroheterocera families Bombycoidea and Drepanoidea, and thus have been variously treated as belonging to either one of these or other superfamilies.

Palaephatoidea is a superfamily of insects in the order Lepidoptera with a single family, Palaephatidae with seven known genera. These "Gondwanaland moths" exhibit a disjunct distribution occurring mainly in South America, with four species in eastern Australia and Tasmania and one in South Africa. The larvae spin together leaves of Proteaceae (Ptyssoptera) or Verbenaceae (Azaleodes) . Palaephatoidea, a typical monotrysian group, is one two main candidates as the sister group of most of the Lepidoptera, the Ditrysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tischerioidea</span> Superfamily of moths

Tischerioidea is the superfamily of "trumpet" leaf miner moths. The superfamily contains just one family, Tischeriidae, and traditionally one genus, Tischeria, but currently three genera are recognised, widespread around the world including South America, except for Australasia. This is one candidate as the sister group of the bulk of Lepidoptera, the Ditrysia, and they have a monotrysian type of female reproductive system. These small moths are leaf-miners in the caterpillar stage, feeding mainly on Fagaceae, Asteraceae, and Malvaceae (Astrotischeria), and some also on Rhamnaceae, Tiliaceae, and Rosaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urodoidea</span> Superfamily of moths

Urodoidea is a superfamily of moths in the clade Apoditrysia. It currently contains two families: Urodidae and Ustyurtiidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Incurvariidae</span> Family of moths

Incurvariidae is a family of small primitive monotrysian moths in the order Lepidoptera. There are twelve genera recognised. Many species are leaf miners and much is known of their host plants, excluding Paraclemensia acerifoliella. The most familiar species in Europe are perhaps Incurvaria masculella and Phylloporia bistrigella. The narrow wings are held tightly along the body at rest and some species have very long antennae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carposinidae</span> Family of moths

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyblaeidae</span> Family of moths

Hyblaeidae are the "teak moths", a family of insects in the Lepidopteran order. The two genera with about 18 species make up one of the two families of the Hyblaeoidea superfamily, which in the past has been included in the Pyraloidea. Recent phylogenetic studies find varying relationships of Hyblaeoidea among Ditrysian Lepidoptera: Mutanen et al. (2010) find the superfamily to group either with Pyraloidea, or – more often – with Thyridoidea or butterflies. The results of Wahlberg et al. (2013) and Heikilä et al. (2015) indicate a sister-group relationship with Pyraloidea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galacticidae</span> Family of moths

Galacticidae is a recently recognised and enigmatic family of insects in the lepidopteran order. These moderate sized moths are 8–17 mm in wingspan and have previously been embedded within several lepidopteran superfamilies, but Galacticidae is currently placed in its own superfamily at the base of the natural group Apoditrysia.

Whalleyana is an enigmatic genus of moths in the lepidopteran group Obtectomera, endemic to Madagascar. The genus contains two species, whose biology are unknown. The genus had been placed in the picture-winged leaf moths, (Thyrididae), but then was placed in its own family, and later elevated to its own superfamily ; see also Fänger (2004). The genus was named after Paul E. S. Whalley, a British entomologist. Genomic studies have found them to be most closely related to Callidulidae, and it is suggested that they should be placed in Calliduloidea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opostegidae</span> Family of moths

Opostegidae or "white eyecap moths" is a family of insects in the order Lepidoptera that is characterised by particularly large eyecaps over the compound eyes. Opostegidae are most diverse in the New World tropics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pterolonchidae</span> Family of moths

Pterolonchidae is a small family of very small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. There are species native to every continent except Australia and Antarctica.

Acanthopteroctetidae is a small family of primitive moths with two described genera, Acanthopteroctetes and Catapterix, and a total of seven described species. They are known as the archaic sun moths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taxonomy of the Lepidoptera</span> Classification of moths and butterflies

The insect order Lepidoptera consists of moths, most of which are night-flying, and a derived group, mainly day-flying, called butterflies. Within Lepidoptera as a whole, the groups listed below before Glossata contain a few basal families accounting for less than 200 species; the bulk of Lepidoptera are in the Glossata. Similarly, within the Glossata, there are a few basal groups listed first, with the bulk of species in the Heteroneura. Basal groups within Heteroneura cannot be defined with as much confidence, as there are still some disputes concerning the proper relations among these groups. At the family level, however, most groups are well defined, and the families are commonly used by hobbyists and scientists alike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cimeliidae</span> Family of moths

Cimeliidae, the gold moths, is a family of moths that is now placed in the macroheteroceran superfamily Drepanoidea, although previously placed in its own superfamily. Uniquely, they have a pair of pocket-like organs on the seventh abdominal spiracle of the adult moth which are only possibly sound receptive organs. They are quite large and brightly coloured moths that occur in southern Europe and feed on species of Euphorbia. Sometimes they are attracted to light. The family was first described by Pierre Chrétien in 1916.

Hydropionea is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae. The 13 described species are distributed in Central and South America.

References

  1. "Lepidoptera Taxome Project". Lepidoptera Taxome Project. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
  2. Kauka, Kauri; Nupponen, Kari; Pavel Yu, Gorbunov; Mutanen, Marko; Heikkila, Marua (2019). "Ustyurtiidae, a new family of Urodoidea with description of a new genus and two species from Kazakhstan, and discussion on possible affinity of Urodoidea to Schreckensteinioidea (Lepidoptera)". Insect Systematics & Evolution. BRILL. 51 (3): 444–471. doi: 10.1163/1876312X-00002209 . ISSN   1399-560X.
  3. Nuss, Matthias; Landry, Bernard; Mally, Richard; Vegliante, Francesca; Tränkner, Andreas; Bauer, Franziska; Hayden, James; Segerer, Andreas; Schouten, Rob; Li, Houhun; Trofimova, Tatiana; Solis, M. Alma; De Prins, Jurate; Speidel, Wolfgang (2003–2020). "Global Information System on Pyraloidea (GlobIZ)". www.pyraloidea.org. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  4. St Laurent, Ryan A.; Kawahara, Akito Y. (2019). "Reclassification of the Sack-bearer Moths". ZooKeys. Pensoft (815): 1–114. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.815.27335 . PMC   6336762 . PMID   30670925.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Zhang, Z.-Q., ed. (2011-12-23). Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness. Zootaxa. Vol. 3148. Magnolia Press. p. 217. ISBN   9781869778491.