List of moths of Australia explained
Australian moths represent between 20,000 and 30,000 different types of moths.[1] In comparison, there are only 400 species of Australian butterflies. The moths (mostly nocturnal) and butterflies (mostly diurnal) together make up the taxonomic order Lepidoptera. Scientifically, these moths are organised into about 80 families,[2] but the status of some is controversial and several recent changes have been suggested.
This is a list of moth species which have been recorded in Australia. The list covers the continent of Australia and Tasmania and includes islands close to the mainland.
This page provides a link to detailed lists of these moths by family. If a family is endemic to Australia, the link redirects to a description of the family itself.
Families
- Adelidae
- Agathiphagidae
- Agonoxenidae
- Alucitidae
- Anomosetidae
- Anthelidae
- Arctiidae
- Argyresthiidae (mostly treated as a subfamily of Yponomeutidae)
- Arrhenophanidae
- Batrachedridae
- Blastobasidae
- Blastodacnidae (sometimes included in Agonoxenidae)
- Bombycidae
- Brachodidae
- Bucculatricidae
- Carposinidae
- Carthaeidae
- Castniidae
- Choreutidae
- Coleophoridae
- Copromorphidae
- Cosmopterigidae
- Cossidae
- Cyclotornidae
- Depressariidae (mostly considered a subfamily of Oecophoridae)
- Drepanidae
- Douglasiidae
- Dudgeoneidae
- Elachistidae
- Epermeniidae
- Epipyropidae
- Erebidae
- Eriocottidae
- Ethmiidae
- Eupterotidae
- Galacticidae
- Gelechiidae
- Geometridae
- Glyphipterigidae
- Gracillariidae
- Heliocosma group
- Heliodinidae
- Heliozelidae
- Hepialidae
- Herminiidae (mostly considered a subfamily of Noctuidae)
- Hyblaeidae
- Hypertrophidae (mostly considered a subfamily of Oecophoridae)
- Immidae
- Incurvariidae
- Lacturidae
- Lasiocampidae
- Lecithoceridae
- Limacodidae
- Lophocoronidae
- Lymantriidae
- Lyonetiidae
- Macropiratidae
- Micronoctuidae
- Only few Australian species are known: Duplex horakae Fibiger, 2010, Duplex edwardsi Fibiger, 2010, Duplex pullata Fibiger, 2010, Duplex cockingi Fibiger, 2010 and Flax kalliesi Fibiger, 2011. Records for Tolpia conscitulana Walker, 1863 and Tolpia myops Hampson, 1907, formerly included in Noctuidae, are based on misidentifications.
- Micropterigidae
- Momphidae
- Only an unnamed Zapyrastra species is known.
- Nepticulidae
- Noctuidae (including Aganaidae and Nolidae)
- Notodontidae
- Oecophoridae
- Oenosandridae
- Opostegidae
- Palaeosetidae
- Palaephatidae
- Plutellidae
- Psychidae
- Pterophoridae
- Pyralidae (including Crambidae)
- Roeslerstammiidae
- Saturniidae
- Scythrididae
- Sesiidae
- Simaethistidae
- Sphingidae
- Symmocidae
- Only one Australian species is known: Nemotyla oribates Nielsen, McQuillan & Common, 1992
- Thyrididae
- Tineidae
- Tineodidae
- Tortricidae
- Uraniidae
- Yponomeutidae
- Zygaenidae
See also
Further reading
Book: Common, I.F.B.. Csiro. 1990. Moths of Australia. 9780643102712. 6 December 2014.
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Zborowski . Paul . Edwards . Ted . A Guide To Australian Moths . CSIRO Publishing . 2007 . 224 .
- Web site: Australian Faunal Directory . 2010-06-01 .
