PHILIPPINE
LEPIDOPTERA
Simple key to major moth groups. The silhouettes are general in nature, and there are exceptions in each group.
* Some of the moth silhouettes are from BugGuide.net http://bugguide.net/node/view/21675
(Hover on the moth silhouette and to view album)
Silkworm Moths
Moderate-sized moths having larvae that feed on leaves and spin cocoons of commercially usable silk and including the domesticated silkworms (genus Bombyx).
CALLIDULIDAE
Butterfly Moths
Distinguished by their resting posture, which is the most butterfly-like, with the wings held closely over the back.
CHOREUTIDAE
Metalmark Moths
Small moths often bearing metallic scales and are mostly day-flying (some also come to lights), with a jerky, pivoting behaviour, and may fluff up their wings at an extreme angle.
COSSIDAE
Cossid Millers
These moths are mostly grey in color; some have long narrow wings and resemble hawkmoths. Many are twig, bark or leaf mimics.
Grass Moths
Variable in appearance. Some are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies include brightly coloured and patterned insects which rest in wing-spread attitudes.
Hook-tip Moths
Medium-sized, broad-winged moths with short bodies. Many species in the Drepanid family have a distinctively hook-shaped apex to the forewing, leading to their common name of hook-tips.
EREBIDAE, ARCTIINAE
Tiger, Footmen, Lichen and Wasp Moths or Woolly Bears
Usually have bright colours, footmen (which are usually much drabber), lichen moths, and wasp moths. Many species have 'hairy' caterpillars which are popularly known as woolly bears or woolly worms.
EREBIDAE, AGANAINAE
Snouted Tiger Moths
They are most easily recognized by the typical wing shape, the usually bright colours and the large porrected palpae (snout).
EREBIDAE, BOLETOBIINAE
* No common name
The Boletobiinae are a subfamily of moths in the Erebidae family. The tribe-level groupings of genera within this expanded Boletobiinae subfamily are a topic of continued study.
EREBIDAE, CALPINAE
Fruit Piercing Moths
Both sexes of adults can pierce ripening fruit, penetrate the skin and pulp of fruit with their modified mouthparts (proboscis) which is armed with saw teeth to withdraw juice.
EREBIDAE, EREBINAE
Underwing Moths and Allies
Many of the species in the subfamily are large. Some of these large moths, such as those in Catocala and related genera, have brightly colored hindwings used as distraction displays.
EREBIDAE, HERMINIINAE
Litter Moths
The members of the subfamily are called litter moths because the caterpillars of most members feed on dead leaves of plants, though others feed on living leaves.
EREBIDAE, HYPENINAE
Snout Moths
They are characterized by their triangular shape and long palps resembling a snout.
EREBIDAE, LYMANTRIINAE
Tussock Moths
They usually have muted colours (browns and greys), although some are white, and tend to be very hairy.
EREBIDAE
Other Erebid Moths
Erebid moths from other sub-families not included in the major albums.
EUPTEROTIDAE
Monkey Moth
Family of large moths having strongly pectinate antennae and lacking proboscis and tympanum. The Caterpillars of this family are very hairy, and the hairs can often cause skin irritation in sensitive people.
EUTELIIDAE
Euteliid Moths
Adults of this group typically rest with their wings folded and their abdomen curled upward, leading them to look like dried leaves.
GEOMETRIDAE
Geometer Moths
Adults usually have slender bodies and relatively large, broad forewings, often crossed by thin wavy lines. Many geometrid moths hold their wings away from the body and flat against the substrate.
LASIOCAMPIDAE
Eggars and Lappet Moths
They are called 'lappet moths' due to the decorative skin flaps found on the caterpillar's prolegs. The name 'eggars' comes from the neat egg-shaped cocoons of some species.
LIMACODIDAE
Slug Moths
They are small, hairy moths, with reduced or absent mouthparts and fringed wings. They often perch with their abdomens sticking out at 90° from their thoraces and wings.
NOCTUIDAE
Owlet Moths
Family of robustly built moths. Most have drab forewings, although some have brightly coloured hindwings. Differences between the sexes are usually few.
NOLIDAE
Tuft Moths
They are mostly small with dull coloration, the main distinguishing feature being a silk cocoon with a vertical exit slit. The group is sometimes known as tuft moths after the tufts of raised scales on the forewings of two subfamilies
NOTODONTIDAE
Prominent Moths
Species of this family tend to be heavy-bodied and long-winged, the wings held folded across the back of the body at rest. They rarely display any bright colours, usually being mainly grey or brown.
PSYCHIDAE
Bagworm or Bagmoths
The males of which have thinly scaled or nearly transparent wings while the females are wingless and wormlike.
PTEROPHORIDAE
Plume Moths
Adult moth's wings are very slender, held at right-angles to body when at rest, giving a T-shaped profile as viewed from above.
PYRALIDAE
Pyralid Moths
They have long legs and a beak like proboscis, which is covered in scales. Their forewings are triangular in shape with broader hind wings, and have a tendency to sit with their wings open and forming a distinct triangle.
SATURNIIDAE
Giant Silkworm and Royal Moths
Adults are characterized by large size, heavy bodies covered in hair-like scales, lobed wings, reduced mouthparts, and small heads. They lack a frenulum but the hind wings overlap the forewings, producing the same effect of an unbroken wing surface.
SPHINGIDAE
Hawk and Sphinx Moths
They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid, sustained flying ability. Their narrow wings and streamlined abdomens are adaptations for rapid flight.
THYRIDIDAE
Picture-Winged Leaf Moths
Adults usually have a characteristic, fine, reticulated wing pattern and distinctive resting posture, with the body raised at a steep angle and the wings expanded.
TORTRICIDAE
Tortrix or Leafroller Moths
Adults are typically nocturnal with cryptically colored forewings in gray, brown, rust, or tan, occasionally with colorful markings. At rest, wings are held like a flattened roof, giving the resemblance of an arrowhead.
URANIIDAE
Swallowtail and Scoopwing Moths
The day-flying species are usually more strikingly colored and vibrant than the nocturnal individuals. Many diurnal species also have iridescent scales and multiple tails, which often lead them to be mistaken for butterflies.
ZYGAENIDAE
Zyganid, Burnet or Forester Moths
Zygaenid moths are typically day-flying with a slow, fluttering flight, and with rather clubbed antennae. They generally have a metallic sheen and often prominent spots of red or yellow.
OTHER Moth Families
Micro-moths, Clearwings, Long-horns, etc.
Moths not included in the major moth albums.
