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. Taxonomically, 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.
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 Gelechiidae are a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the family's taxonomy has been subject to considerable dispute. These are generally very small moths with narrow, fringed wings. The larvae of most species feed internally on various parts of their host plants, sometimes causing galls. Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga) is a host plant common to many species of the family, particularly of the genus Chionodes, which as a result is more diverse in North America than usual for Gelechioidea.
The Pyralidae, commonly called pyralid moths, snout moths or grass moths, are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many classifications, the grass moths (Crambidae) are included in the Pyralidae as a subfamily, making the combined group one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera. The latest review by Eugene G. Munroe and Maria Alma Solis retain the Crambidae as a full family of Pyraloidea.
Parmelia is a genus of medium to large foliose (leafy) lichens. It has a global distribution, extending from the Arctic to the Antarctic continent but concentrated in temperate regions. There are about 40 species in Parmelia. In recent decades, the once large genus Parmelia has been divided into a number of smaller genera according to thallus morphology and phylogenetic relatedness.
The common footman is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Johann Leopold Theodor Friedrich Zincken in 1817. It is distributed throughout Europe and east through the Palearctic to Lake Baikal.
Augustus Radcliffe Grote was a British entomologist who described over 1,000 species of butterflies and moths. He is best known for his work on North American Noctuidae. A number of species were named after him, including the moth Horama grotei.
The Batrachedridae are a small family of tiny moths. These are small, slender moths which rest with their wings wrapped tightly around their bodies.
Acsala is a monotypic genus of lichen moth in the monotypic subtribe Acsalina of the family Erebidae. Its single species, Acsala anomala, has Hodges number 8104.1 and is known from the US (Alaska) and Canada (Yukon).
Lycomorpha is a genus of moths in the family Erebidae. The genus was erected by Thaddeus William Harris in 1839.
Hypotrix diplogramma is a moth of the family Noctuidae first described by William Schaus in 1903. It is found in southern North America from eastern Arizona and south-western New Mexico southward at least to Mexico City.
Lymantria xylina, the casuarina moth or casuarina tussock moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Charles Swinhoe in 1903. It is found in Japan, Taiwan and the Chinese provinces of Fujian and Guangdong.
Lycomorpha pholus, the black-and-yellow lichen moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae. It is found in North America from Nova Scotia to North Carolina, west to South Dakota and Texas. The habitat consists of short-grass prairie.
Lycomorpha grotei, or Grote's lycomorpha moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Alpheus Spring Packard in 1864. It is found in North America, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
Lycomorpha fulgens is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Henry Edwards in 1881. It is found in North America, including Arizona, California, Colorado and New Mexico.
Lycomorpha splendens is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by William Barnes and James Halliday McDunnough in 1912. It is found in North America, including Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah.
Lycomorpha desertus is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Henry Edwards in 1881. It is found in the US state of Arizona.
Paleacrita merriccata, the white-spotted cankerworm moth, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1903. It is found in eastern North America, where it has been recorded from central Illinois, eastern Missouri, west-central Mississippi, Louisiana and eastern Texas.
