Moths

Moths > Moths Index

Many resources group moths and butterflies together, however moths outnumber butterflies in numbers and species. In Australia alone, there are over 10,500 species of moths, compared with about 400 species of butterflies. Whilst there are very few species of butterflies yet to be discovered, in Australia there is estimated to be at least another 10,000 species of moths yet to be discovered, studied and named.

Check out our Moths Index to see some of the genus/species listed, and come back as we add more over time… “what a wonderful world… we live in…”

MothsMoths Index Aedia arctipennis Agape chloropyga Agrius convolvuli (Convolvulus Hawk Moth) Agrotis munda Anthela guenei (Four-Spot Anthelid Moth) Ardices curvata (Crimson Tiger Moth) Austrocaligula engaea (Mistletoe Emperor Moth) Calicotis crucifera Case Moths (Variety of Cocoons) Coenotes eremophilae Comocrus behri (Mistletoe Moth) Cosmodes elegans (Green-blotched Moth) Donuca spectabilis (White-spotted Owl-Moth) Diatenes gerula Endoxyla cinereus (Carpenter Moth) Eudesmeola lawsoni Four-spotted Cup Moth (Doratifera quadriguttata) Hippotion celerio (Vine Hawk Moth) Hyles livornicoides (Australian Striped Hawk Moth) Leaf Case Moth Metura elongatus (Saunders’ Case Moth) Ochrogaster lunifer (Bag-shelter Moth) Opodiphthera eucalypti (Emperor Gum Moth) Pararguda rufescens Plume Moth Ribbed Case Moth Sameodes cancellalis Spodoptera litura Trigonodes hyppasia Utetheisa (Rattlepod Moth)

— see Butterflies ◦

Although the rules for distinguishing between moths and butterflies are not well established, one good guiding principle is that butterflies have thin antennae and (with the exception of the family Hedylidae) have small balls or clubs at the end of their antennae. Moth antennae are usually feathery with no ball on the end. The divisions are named by this principle: “club-antennae” (Rhopalocera) or “varied-antennae” (Heterocera). Lepidoptera differs between butterflies and other organisms due to evolving a special characteristic of having the tube-like proboscis in the Middle Triassic which allowed them to acquire nectar from flowering plants.¹

White-spotted Owl-Moth (Donuca spectabilis) — White-spotted Owl-Moth (*Donuca spectabilis*), Alice Springs, NT

Butterflies and moths have a number of differences, although there are exceptions to the rules. The main differences include:

Butterflies are active during the day, whilst moths are active at night (although there are plenty of moths that you may see or stumble across during the day).
Butterflies have knobs at the end of their antennae; moths have antennae without knobs at the end.
Butterflies are usually brightly coloured; moths are usually dull.
Butterflies rest with their wings held vertically; moths rest with their wings flat (there are some moths that are mistaken for butterflies).

Check out some of the references below for some great information on moths.

Footnote & References

Moth, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moth (last visited Feb. 8, 2022)
Families of Moths in Australia, by Don Herbison-Evans and Stella Crossley, Coffs Harbour Butterfly House, http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/moths.html
Australian Moths Online, CSIRO, https://moths.csiro.au/

ButterfliesButterflies Index Acraea andromacha Caper White Butterfly Chequered Swallowtail Butterfly Common Eggfly Butterfly Meadow Argus Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly Pieridae Two-spotted Line Blue (Nacaduba biocellata) Yellow Palm Dart

InsectsBees Beetles Blattodea Butterflies Coleoptera Cicada Crabronidae Diptera Dragonflies & Damselflies Formicidae Hemiptera Heteroptera Moths Orthoptera Orthopteroid Processionary Caterpillar Stink Bugs, Shield Bugs and Allies Wasps Water Scorpion (Laccotrephes tristis) Witchetty Grub