Families of Moths in Australian
| & Stella Crossley (updated 9 April 2009) |
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| & Stella Crossley (updated 9 April 2009) |
|
Most of the Caterpillars which we have found are the larvae of moths. Moths far outnumber butterflies both in numbers and species. In Australia, there are over 10,000 named species of moths compared with only about 416 species of butterflies. Added to this, many moths have yet to be collected and named, whereas very few butterfly species remain to be discovered in Australia.
The common names of many moths are derived from the behaviour and appearance of their caterpillars. This situation is unlike that for butterflies, the common names for which are usually derived from the adult forms. The difference stems from the fact that common names are given by ordinary people and are handed down by generations. Butterflies fly mainly by day, whereas moth adults fly mainly at night. Also, moth caterpillars are often made conspicuous by the damage they do to plants, as the caterpillars of many moth species are important agricultural pests. Thus the stage of moth development that is most often encountered by ordinary people by day is the caterpillar.
Actually, very few Australian moths have English common names, as there have been only 200 years or so of English settlement in Australia. Even the moth families are usually referred to by derivatives of their scientific names in Australia. The situation is very different from that in Europe and America where most common moth species have common names. In these pages, we give many of the European and American names out of deference to overseas visitors to our pages.
Fairy Moths | Tropical Tiger Moths | Kauri Moths | Palm Moths |
Many-Plumed Moths | Primitive Ghost Moths | Australian Woolly Bears | Footmen, Woolly Bears, Tiger Moths |
Needle Miners | Fungus Moths | Fringed Moths | Dull Moths |
Detritus Moths | Silkworms | Little Bear Moths | Flat Moths |
Fruitworms | Australian Silkworms | Sun Moths | Metalmark Moths |
New Case Moths | Tropical Fruitworms | Seed Borers | Witchetty Grubs, Borers, Goat Moths |
Webworms and Shoot Borers | Antworms | Flat-Bodied Moths | Hook Tip Moths |
Lace Moths | Fringe-tufted Moths | Spiny-winged Moths | Black-spotted Moths |
Monkey Moths | Leaf Miners | Twirler Moths | Inchworms, Loopers, Emeralds, Arches |
Sedge Moths | Leaf Miners | Heliocosma Group | Metal Moths |
Ghost & Swift Moths | Dead-leaf worms | Teak Moths | Twig Moths |
Immid Moths | Lactura Group | Lappet & Snout Moths | Tropical Longhorned Moths |
Cup & Slug Moths | Primitive Moths | Tussock Moths | Stem Borers |
Long Legged Moths | Mandibulate Moths | Pygmy Moths | Cutworms, Underwings |
Bag Shelter Moths & Processionary Caterpillars | Concealer Moths | Snub Moths | White Eyecap Moths |
Gondwanaland Moths | Diamondback Moths | Bag & Case Moths | Plume Moths |
Snout, Frass, Meal, & Flour Moths | Small Ermine Moths | Emperor Moths | Scythridid Moths |
Clear Wings | Simaethistid Moths | Hawk Moths | Picture-winged Leaf Moths |
Clothes Moths | False Plume Moths | Leaf Rollers & Bell Moths | Swallowtail Moths |
Timber Moths | Ermine Moths | Foresters & Burnet Moths |
 butterflies |
 caterpillars |
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