The Hepialidae are a family of insects in the lepidopteran order. Moths of this family are often referred to as swift moths or ghost moths.
The ghost moth or ghost swift is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It is common throughout Europe, except for the far south-east.
The beet armyworm or small mottled willow moth is one of the best-known agricultural pest insects. It is also known as the asparagus fern caterpillar. It is native to Asia, but has been introduced worldwide and is now found almost anywhere its many host crops are grown. The voracious larvae are the main culprits. In the British Isles, where it is an introduced species and not known to breed, the adult moth is known as the small mottled willow moth.
Phymatopus is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae, which consists of around 700 species and 82 genera. The genus was erected by Hans Daniel Johan Wallengren in 1869. They can be found across Eurasia and North America. Species can be distinguished by the different morphology of male genitalia and different forewing patterns, which vary in stripe colour and size and arrangement of spots. The stripes themselves consist of spots separated by dark veins which are fringed by thin black lines from both inner and outer sides.
Sthenopis is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae. There are eight described species found in North America and China.
Furcula furcula, the sallow kitten, is a moth from the family Notodontidae. It was first described by the Swedish entomologist Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759 from a specimen found in Sweden.
Elhamma australasiae is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It is found along the eastern seaboard of Australia.
Abantiades latipennis, known as the Pindi moth, is a species of moth in the family Hepialidae. It may also be referred to as a swift moth or a ghost moth, as this is a common name associated with Hepialidae. Endemic to Australia and identified in 1932, it is most populous in temperate rainforest where eucalypti are prevalent, as the larvae feed primarily on the roots of these trees. Females lay eggs during flight in a scattering fashion. The larvae live for over eighteen months underground, while adult moths survive for approximately one week, as they have no mouthparts with which to feed. The moths are preyed upon by a number of predators, including bats and owls. Brown in colour overall, males are paler and the identifying silver bars of the male's wings are more prominent than those of the female's, with dark margins. Male adults are generally smaller.
Cibyra brunnea is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It was described by William Schaus in 1901 and is known from Venezuela and Peru.
Druceiella basirubra is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It was described by William Schaus in 1901 and is known from Bolivia and Peru.
Dumbletonius characterifer is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. It was first described by Francis Walker in 1865.
Fraus simulans, the lesser ghost moth, is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It is endemic to the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.
Gazoryctra roseicaput is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It was described by Berthold Neumoegen and Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1893. It is known from the mountains of western North America, including Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta.
Palpifer taprobanus is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It was described by Frederic Moore in 1887 and is found in Sri Lanka.
Sthenopis pretiosus, the gold-spotted ghost moth, is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It was first described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1856. It can be found in found Brazil, Venezuela and in the eastern United States and south-eastern Canada.
Sthenopis dirschi is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It was described by Otto Bang-Haas in 1939, and is known from China.
Sthenopis regius is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It was described by Staudinger in 1896, and is known from China.
Sthenopis roseus is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It was described by Oberthür in 1912, and is known from China, including Hubei.
Sthenopis thule, the willow ghost moth, is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It was described by Strecker in 1875, and is known from Canada and the United States, including Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan.
Wiseana copularis is a species of moth belonging to the family Hepialidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. This moth is one of several very similar looking species within the genus Wiseana and this group are collectively referred to as "Porina" moths. In its larvae form this species consumes pasture grasses and, if numerous, is regarded as a pest by New Zealand farmers reliant on good quality pasture for their stock.
