Taxonomy of the Lepidoptera explained

The insect order Lepidoptera consists of moths and butterflies (43 superfamilies).^[1] Most moths are night-flying, while the butterflies (superfamily Papilionoidea) are the mainly day-flying. Within Lepidoptera as a whole, the groups listed below before Glossata contain a few basal families accounting for less than 200 species; the bulk of Lepidoptera are in the Glossata.^[1] Similarly, within the Glossata, there are a few basal groups listed first, with the bulk of species in the Heteroneura. Basal groups within Heteroneura cannot be defined with as much confidence, as there are still some disputes concerning the proper relations among these groups. At the family level, however, most groups are well defined, and the families are commonly used by hobbyists and scientists alike.

Unassigned fossil lepidopterans

Family unassigned (12 genera, 16 species)
Family Archaeolepidae
Family Mesokristenseniidae
Family Eolepidopterigidae
Family Undopterigidae

Suborder Zeugloptera

Superfamily Micropterigoidea
- Family Micropterigidae

Suborder Aglossata

Superfamily Agathiphagoidea
- Family Agathiphagidae

Suborder Heterobathmiina

Superfamily Heterobathmioidea
- Family Heterobathmiidae

Suborder Glossata

Infraorder Heteroneura

Clade Nepticulina

Superfamily Nepticuloidea
- Family Nepticulidae
- Family Opostegidae

Clade Eulepidoptera, encompassing all remaining groups

Clade Incurvariina

Superfamily Andesianoidea
- Family Andesianidae
Superfamily Adeloidea
- Family Heliozelidae
- Family Adelidae
- Family Incurvariidae
- Family Cecidosidae
- Family Prodoxidae

Clade Etimonotrysia

Superfamily Palaephatoidea
- Family Palaephatidae
Superfamily Tischerioidea
- Family Tischeriidae

Clade Ditrysia, encompassing all remaining groups

unassigned (25 genera, 100 species)
- Family Millieriidae
Superfamily Tineoidea
- Family Acrolophidae
- Family Arrhenophanidae
- Family Eriocottidae
- Family Psychidae
- Family Tineidae
Superfamily Gracillarioidea
- Family Roeslerstammiidae
- Family Bucculatricidae
- Family Gracillariidae
Superfamily Yponomeutoidea
- Family Yponomeutidae
- Family Argyresthiidae
- Family Plutellidae
- Family Glyphipterigidae
- Family Ypsolophidae
- Family Attevidae
- Family Praydidae
- Family Heliodinidae
- Family Bedelliidae
- Family Lyonetiidae

Clade Apoditrysia, encompassing all remaining groups

unassigned superfamily
- Family Prodidactidae
- Family Douglasiidae
Superfamily Simaethistoidea
- Family Simaethistidae
Superfamily Gelechioidea
- Family Autostichidae
- Family Lecithoceridae
- Family Xyloryctidae
- Family Blastobasidae
- Family Oecophoridae
- Family Schistonoeidae
- Family Lypusidae
- Family Chimabachidae
- Family Peleopodidae
- Family Elachistidae
- Family Syringopaidae
- Family Coelopoetidae
- Family Stathmopodidae
- Family Epimarptidae
- Family Batrachedridae
- Family Coleophoridae
- Family Momphidae
- Family Pterolonchidae
- Family Scythrididae
- Family Cosmopterigidae
- Family Gelechiidae
Superfamily Alucitoidea
- Family Tineodidae
- Family Alucitidae
Superfamily Pterophoroidea
- Family Pterophoridae
Superfamily Carposinoidea
- Family Copromorphidae
- Family Carposinidae
Superfamily Schreckensteinioidea
- Family Schreckensteiniidae
Superfamily Epermenioidea
- Family Epermeniidae
Superfamily Urodoidea
- Family Urodidae
- Family Ustyurtiidae^[3]
Superfamily Immoidea
- Family Immidae
Superfamily Choreutoidea
- Family Choreutidae
Superfamily Galacticoidea
- Family Galacticidae
Superfamily Tortricoidea
- Family Tortricidae
Superfamily Cossoidea
- Family Brachodidae
- Family Cossidae
- Family Dudgeoneidae
- Family Metarbelidae
- Family Ratardidae
- Family Castniidae
- Family Sesiidae
Superfamily Zygaenoidea
- Family Epipyropidae
- Family Cyclotornidae
- Family Heterogynidae
- Family Lacturidae
- Family Phaudidae
- Family Dalceridae
- Family Limacodidae
- Family Megalopygidae
- Family Aididae
- Family Somabrachyidae
- Family Himantopteridae
- Family Zygaenidae

Clade Obtectomera, encompassing all remaining groups

Superfamily Whalleyanoidea
- Family Whalleyanidae
Superfamily Thyridoidea
- Family Thyrididae
Superfamily Hyblaeoidea
- Family Hyblaeidae
Superfamily Calliduloidea
- Family Callidulidae
Superfamily Papilionoidea (butterflies)
- Family Papilionidae
- Family Hedylidae
- Family Hesperiidae
- Family Pieridae
- Family Riodinidae
- Family Lycaenidae
- Family Nymphalidae
Superfamily Pyraloidea
- Family Pyralidae
- Family Crambidae
Superfamily Mimallonoidea
- Family Mimallonidae

Clade Macroheterocera (Macrolepidoptera sensu sticto), encompassing all remaining groups

Superfamily Drepanoidea
- Family Cimeliidae
- Family Doidae
- Family Drepanidae
Superfamily Lasiocampoidea
- Family Lasiocampidae
Superfamily Bombycoidea
- Family Apatelodidae
- Family Eupterotidae
- Family Brahmaeidae
- Family Phiditiidae
- Family Anthelidae
- Family Carthaeidae
- Family Endromidae
- Family Bombycidae
- Family Saturniidae
- Family Sphingidae
Superfamily Geometroidea
- Family Epicopeiidae
- Family Pseudobistonidae^[4]
- Family Sematuridae
- Family Uraniidae
- Family Geometridae
Superfamily Noctuoidea
- Family Oenosandridae
- Family Notodontidae
- Family Erebidae
- Family Euteliidae
- Family Nolidae
- Family Noctuidae

References

(Editor). (2008). Encyclopedia of Entomology, (2nd Ed). Springer Reference., . Limited preview in Google Books.
(1995) The Lepidoptera: form, function and diversity. The Oxford University Press, Oxford UK. . Ltd preview in Google Books.

Notes and References

van Nieukerken. Erik J. . Lauri Kaila . Ian J. Kitching . Niels P. Kristensen . David C. Lees . Joël Minet . Charles Mitter . Marko Mutanen . Jerome C. Regier . Thomas J. Simonsen . Niklas Wahlberg . Shen-Horn Yen . Reza Zahiri . David Adamski . Joaquin Baixeras . Daniel Bartsch . Bengt Å. Bengtsson . John W. Brown . Sibyl Rae Bucheli . Donald R. Davis . Jurate De Prins . Willy De Prins . Marc E. Epstein . Patricia Gentili-Poole . . Peter Hättenschwiler . Axel Hausmann . Jeremy D. Holloway . Axel Kallies . Ole Karsholt. Akito Y. Kawahara . Akito Y. Kawahara . Sjaak (J.C.) Koster . Mikhail V. Kozlov . J. Donald Lafontaine . Gerardo Lamas . Jean-François Landry . Sangmi Lee . Matthias Nuss . Kyu-Tek Park . Carla Penz . Jadranka Rota . Alexander Schintlmeister . B. Christian Schmidt . Jae-Cheon Sohn . . Gerhard M. Tarmann . Andrew D. Warren . Susan Weller . Roman V. Yakovlev . Vadim V. Zolotuhin . Andreas Zwick . Order Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758. Zootaxa. 23 December 2011. 3148. Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness. 212–221. Zhi-Qiang. Zhang. Zootaxa.
Kristensen. Niels P.. Hilton. Douglas J.. Kallies. Axel. Milla. Liz. Rota. Jadranka. Wahlberg. Niklas. Wilcox. Stephen A.. Glatz. Richard v.. Young. David A.. Cocking. Glenn. Edwards. Ted. Gibbs. George W.. Halsey. Mike. A new extant family of primitive moths from Kangaroo Island, Australia, and its significance for understanding early Lepidoptera evolution. Systematic Entomology. 40. 1. 5–16. 2015. 10.1111/syen.12115. 2015SysEn..40....5K. 82036021.
Kaila. Lauri. Nupponen. Kari. Gorbunov. Pavel Yu. Mutanen. Marko. Heikkilä. Maria. 2020-05-22. Ustyurtiidae, a new family of Urodoidea with description of a new genus and two species from Kazakhstan, and discussion on possible affinity of Urodoidea to Schreckensteinioidea (Lepidoptera). Insect Systematics & Evolution. en. 51. 3. 444–471. 10.1163/1876312X-00002209. 1876-312X. free.
10.1111/zsc.12108 . Advances in Geometroidea phylogeny, with characterization of a new family based on Pseudobiston pinratanai (Lepidoptera, Glossata) . Zoologica Scripta . 44 . 4 . 418–436 . 2015 . Rajaei. Hossein . Greve. Carola . Letsch. Harald . Stüning. Dieter . Wahlberg. Niklas . Minet. Joël . Misof. Bernhard . 84153029 .