Caterpillars are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera.
Lepidoptera is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described species of living organisms. It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world. The Lepidoptera show many variations of the basic body structure that have evolved to gain advantages in lifestyle and distribution. Recent estimates suggest the order may have more species than earlier thought, and is among the four most speciose orders, along with the Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera.
Bookworm is a general name for any insect that is said to bore through books.
The Tortricidae are a family of moths, commonly known as tortrix moths or leafroller moths, in the order Lepidoptera. This large family has over 11,000 species described, and is the sole member of the superfamily Tortricoidea, although the genus Heliocosma is sometimes placed within this superfamily. Many of these are economically important pests. Olethreutidae is a junior synonym. The typical resting posture is with the wings folded back, producing a rather rounded profile.
Manduca quinquemaculata, the five-spotted hawkmoth, is a brown and gray hawk moth of the family Sphingidae. The caterpillar, often referred to as the tomato hornworm, can be a major pest in gardens; they get their name from a dark projection on their posterior end and their use of tomatoes as host plants. Tomato hornworms are closely related to the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta. This confusion arises because caterpillars of both species have similar morphologies and feed on the foliage of various plants from the family Solanaceae, so either species can be found on tobacco or tomato leaves. Because of this, the plant on which the caterpillar is found does not indicate its species.
This glossary of entomology describes terms used in the formal study of insect species by entomologists.
Xylophagy is a term used in ecology to describe the habits of an herbivorous animal whose diet consists primarily of wood. The word derives from Greek ξυλοφάγος (xulophagos) "eating wood", from ξύλον "wood" and φαγεῖν "to eat", an ancient Greek name for a kind of a worm-eating bird. Animals feeding only on dead wood are called sapro-xylophagous or saproxylic.
The orange swift or orange moth is a moth belonging to the family Hepialidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761 and was previously placed in the genus Hepialus. It is distributed throughout Europe.
Palpita vitrealis, common name jasmine moth or white pearl, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae.
Spilonota ocellana, the bud moth, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found in the Palearctic realm, from North Africa and Europe to Iran, eastern Russia, China, Korea, and Japan. It is also present on Madeira and in North America.
Carcina quercana is a species of moth of the family Depressariidae. It is found in Europe. It has been introduced recently in North America, British Columbia and western Washington. It is occasionally known by several common names including oak lantern, long-horned flat-body, and oak-skeletonizer moth.
Micropterix aruncella is a species of moth belonging to the family Micropterigidae, which is distributed throughout Europe. The imago was first described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1763. This species is one of the best known members of the family, being found in a wide range of habitats from sea level to over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft); the only habitat not favoured by this species is dense woodland.
Helicoverpa assulta, the oriental tobacco budworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. H. assulta adults are migratory and are found all over the Old World Tropics including Asia, Africa, and Australia.
Hellinsia lienigianus is a moth of the family Pterophoridae which inhabits coastal areas, dry pastures and waste ground and is found in Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. Also known as the mugwort plume it was first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1852.
Acleris cristana, the rufous-margined button moth, is a moth of the family Tortricidae and is found from Europe through the Caucasus and Ussuri to Japan.
Micropterix tunbergella is a moth of the family Micropterigidae found in most of Europe. The moths are very small and can be found feeding on the pollen of hawthorn, oak and sycamore. The larva and pupa are unknown. The moth was described Johan Christian Fabricius in 1787.
Eupithecia subumbrata, the shaded pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found from Mongolia and the Altai Mountains through Siberia, central Asia, Asia Minor and Russia to western Europe and from central Scandinavia to the Mediterranean region.
Gypsonoma dealbana, the common cloaked shoot, is a moth of the family Tortricidae.
Tortricodes alternella is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found in most of Europe, except most of the Balkan Peninsula.
Chlorissa cloraria, the southern grass emerald, is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. It is found in most of Europe, except Ireland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Fennoscandia, Estonia and northern Russia.
