| in Australia | 
| (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
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| in Australia |
| (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
|
|
|
|
|
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|
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 10,741 named and described species of moths compared with only about 400 species of butterflies. Added to this, in Australia, it is estimated that at least another 10,000 species moths have yet to be studied and named, whereas very few butterfly species remain to be discovered.
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 caterpillar is the stage of moth development that is most often encountered by ordinary people by day.
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 in Australia by derivatives of their scientific names. 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 | 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 | Tiny Case Moths |
Tropical Fruitworms | Seed Borers | Witchetty Grubs, Borers, Goat Moths | Webworms, Shoot Borers |
Antworms | Flat-Bodied Moths | Hook Tip Moths | Lace Moths |
Grass-miner Moths | Fringe-tufted Moths | Planthopper Parasites | Tropical Moths |
Spiny-winged Moths | Black-spotted Moths | Monkey Moths | Euteliid Moths |
Webworms | Twirler Moths | Inchworms, Loopers, Emeralds, Arches | Gem Moths |
Leaf Miners | Group | Metal Moths | Shield Bearer Moths |
Ghost & Swift Moths | Teak Moths | Twig Moths | Immid Moths |
Leafcutter Moths | Lactura Group | Lappet & Snout Moths | Tropical Longhorned Moths |
Cup & Slug Moths | Tiny Ghost Moths | Tussock Moths | Stem Borers |
Long Legged Moths | Mandibulate Moths | Pygmy Moths | Cutworms, Armyworms |
Hatted Caterpillars | 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 |
Symmocid Moths | Picture-winged Leaf Moths | Clothes Moths | False Plume Moths |
Leaf Rollers, Bell Moths | Swallowtail Moths | Timber Moths | Ermine Moths |
Foresters, Burnet Moths |
Links to :-
Non-Moths
and
Superfamilies of Australian Moths
 butterflies |  Lepidoptera |  FAQ's |
(written 11 August 1995, updated 18 November 2023)
