The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing about 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and tropical Asia with some varieties in the more northern regions of North America and Eurasia. Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow, or orange in coloration, often with black spots. The pigments that give the distinct coloring to these butterflies are derived from waste products in the body and are a characteristic of this family. The family was created by William John Swainson in 1820.
The cinnabar moth is a brightly coloured arctiid moth found as a native species in Europe and western and central Asia then east across the Palearctic to Siberia to China. It has been introduced into New Zealand, Australia and North America to control ragwort, on which its larvae feed. The moth is named after the red mineral cinnabar because of the red patches on its predominantly black wings. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Cinnabar moths are about 20 mm (0.79 in) long and have a wingspan of 32–42 mm (1.3–1.7 in).
Saturnia pavonia, the small emperor moth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Sometimes, the incorrect genus name Pavonia is still used for this species. This moth occurs throughout the Palearctic region and is the only member of its family to be found in the British Isles, where it is usually called simply the emperor moth.
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.
Palpita vitrealis, common name jasmine moth or white pearl, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae.
Cephonodes hylas, the coffee bee hawkmoth, pellucid hawk moth or coffee clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1771. A widely distributed moth, it is found in the Near East, Middle East, Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Southeast Asia and Australia.
Phalaenoides glycinae, the Australian grapevine moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae that is native to southeastern Australia. The species was first described by John Lewin in 1805.
Estigmene acrea, the salt marsh moth or acrea moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773. It is found in North America, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Colombia, and Mexico.
Eudocima jordani, the Jordan's fruit piercing moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found on New Guinea and Queensland, Australia. Adults are considered a commercial pest. They damage fruit by piercing the skin to suck juice.
Creatonotos gangis is a species of arctiine moth in South East Asia and Australia. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1763 Centuria Insectorum.
Coequosa triangularis, the double-headed hawk moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
Telecrates laetiorella is a moth of the family Xyloryctidae. It is known from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria.
Anestia ombrophanes, the clouded footman, is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. The species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1886. It is known from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia.
Epicoma contristis, the yellow-spotted epicoma, is a moth of the family Notodontidae first described by Jacob Hübner in 1823. It is known from Australia, including Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria.
Synemon sophia is a moth in the Castniidae family. It is found in Australia, including Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia.
Synemon theresa, the cryptic sun-moth, is a species of day-flying moth of the family Castniidae. It was described by Edward Doubleday in 1846. It has a wingspan of 26-40mm, and is mostly grey-brown with orange hindwings. Native to Australia, this species is extinct in Victoria, and is now only known from a relatively small area of South Australia near Adelaide. It uses Themeda triandra and Rytidopserma spp. as larval food plants. Adults can be found from November to February. They only live for a few days, as they do not have a feeding proboscis. Despite becoming extinct over much of its former range, the cryptic sun-moth is not listed as a threatened species in South Australia.
Chiasmia goldiei is a moth in the family Geometridae first described by Druce in 1882. It is found in Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Gesonia obeditalis is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae first described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is found from eastern Africa, the Seychelles, the Maldives and the Oriental tropics of India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka east to the Philippines, the Sula Islands and Australia. The adult moth has brown wings with a scalloped dark brown band near the margin. The hindwings are similar in pattern to the forewings but are a paler shade of brown.
Telecrates desmochrysa is a moth in the family Xyloryctidae. It was described by Oswald Bertram Lower in 1896. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from South Australia.
Telecrates tesselata is a moth in the family Xyloryctidae. It was described by Thomas Pennington Lucas in 1900. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Queensland.
