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The order Lepidoptera is the second largest order in the class insecta and includes the butterflies, skippers, and moths. Members of the order are referred to as lepidopterans.
This order has more than 180,000 species in 127 families and 46 superfamilies. It is second only to the Coleoptera (the beetles) in number of described species. The name is derived from Greek "scaly-wing" (lepido-pteron).
Characteristics of Lepidoptera
Lepidopterans undergo complete metamorphosis going through a four-stage life cycle of egg - larva / caterpillar - pupa/chrysalis -imago/adult. The larvae have 3 pairs of true legs and additional prolegs. They can be confused with the larvae of sawflies. Lepidopteran larvae can be differentiated by the presence of crochets on the prolegs which are absent in the symphyta. Adults have two pairs of membranous wings covered by minute scales, and the mouth parts adapted for sucking nectar. Adults have a prominent proboscis formed by modified maxillary galeae.
See also and difference between a butterfly and a moth.
Families of Lepidoptera
There are about 130 families in this order with variations depending on the taxonomic treatment.
The lepidoptera are divided into several suborders, the largest being Ditrysia.
Several other classifications of lepidopteran families are used in older literature. These include the Rhopalocera (club-horned) consisting of what are commonly called butterflies and the Heterocera (varied-horned) consisting of the moths. These categories are however, not valid taxonomic groups.
Another non-standard classification separates the lepidoptera into microlepidoptera for the smaller species (mostly moths) and macrolepidoptera for the larger species.
See also
External links
- Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
- British Butterflies and Moths
- Photography of European Butterflies and Moths
- Butterflies and Moths in the Netherlands
- Lepidoptera of North America
- Lepidoptera in online insect museum
References
- Kristensen, N.P. (Ed.). 1999. Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies. Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbuch der Zoologie. Eine Naturgeschichte der Stämme des Tierreiches / Handbook of Zoology. A Natural History of the phyla of the Animal Kingdom. Band / Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta Teilband / Part 35: 491 pp. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York.
- Nye, I.W.B. & Fletcher, D.S. 1991. Generic Names of Moths of the World. Volume 6: xxix + 368 pp. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), London.
- Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects and Spiders, edited by Christopher O'Toole, ISBN 1-55297-612-2, 2002
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"Lepidoptera"