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.
Oecophoridae is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this.
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.
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.
Notodontidae is a family of moths with approximately 3,800 known species. The family was described by James Francis Stephens in 1829. Moths of this family are found in all parts of the world, but they are most concentrated in tropical areas, especially in the New World.
Prototheora is a genus of moths. It is the only genus of the Prototheoridae, or the African primitive ghost moths, a family of insects in the lepidopteran order, contained in the superfamily Hepialoidea. These moths are endemic to Southern Africa.
The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups. The family includes the underwings (Catocala); litter moths (Herminiinae); tiger, lichen, and wasp moths (Arctiinae); tussock moths (Lymantriinae), including the arctic woolly bear moth ; piercing moths ; micronoctuoid moths (Micronoctuini); snout moths (Hypeninae); and zales, though many of these common names can also refer to moths outside the Erebidae. Some of the erebid moths are called owlets.
Prototheora parachlora is a species of moth of the family Prototheoridae. It is found in South Africa, where it is only known from the Karkloof Forest region of KwaZulu-Natal.
Prototheora monoglossa is a species of moth of the family Prototheoridae. It is found in South Africa.
Prototheora petrosema is a moth species of the family Prototheoridae. It is found in Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. It lives in the predominantly fynbos cape vegetation of the temperate Knysna Forest. It has been found frequently around the lower slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town.
Prototheora serruligera is a species of moth of the family Prototheoridae. It is found in South Africa.
Prototheora quadricornis is a species of moth of the family Prototheoridae. It is found in South Africa.
Prototheora cooperi is a species of moth of the family Prototheoridae. It is found in South Africa, where it has been found at three widespread locations in Cape Province, all characterized largely by fynbos vegetation within the Capensis region. It was found most commonly at a rather xeric site north of Oudtshoorn in the Swartberg mountains.
Prototheora merga is a species of moth of the family Prototheoridae. It is found in South Africa, where it is only known from the Schoemanspoort in the Cape Province.
Prototheora biserrata is a species of moth of the family Prototheoridae. It is found in South Africa, where it known from only one and possibly two localities in the southern Cape Province. The holotype was collected in the wet, temperate Groenkop forest near George. A second specimen, possibly the female of the same species, was found at Camps Bay, a coastal fynbos habitat immediately south of Cape Town.
Prototheora geniculata is a species of moth of the family Prototheoridae. It is found in South Africa, where it known only from the Schoemanspoort in the Cape Province, which is located in a southern extension of the Karoo desert, generally referred to as the Little Karoo.
Prototheora drackensbergae is a species of moth of the family Prototheoridae. It is found in South Africa, where it is known only from the type locality east of the Drakensberg escarpment in KwaZulu-Natal.
Prototheora angolae is a species of moth of the family Prototheoridae. It is found in Angola, where it known only from the type locality which is located in central Angola.
Prototheora malawiensis is a species of moth of the family Prototheoridae. It is found in Malawi.
