Moths and butterflies

Scientific name

Order Lepidoptera

Similar species

Members of the Lepidoptera are often confused with cicadas, bees, and wasps. The distinguishing characteristics for each group are listed below.

	Lepidoptera	Bees	Wasps	Cicadas
Wing texture and pattern	Scaled with assorted, multicolored patterns.	Membranous membranous: with the same character as a membrane, typically used to refer to structures like wings that are clear and translucent like a membrane and translucent.	Membranous membranous: with the same character as a membrane, typically used to refer to structures like wings that are clear and translucent like a membrane and transluent.	Membranous membranous: with the same character as a membrane, typically used to refer to structures like wings that are clear and translucent like a membrane with assorted color patterns.
Body texture	Scaled or dusty.	Fuzzy.	Smooth.	Smooth.
Mouthparts	Siphoning.	Siphoning.	Chewing	Piercing-sucking.

Diagnostic characteristics

Adults

• Smallest - 4 mm (0.08 in.) wingspan.
• Largest - 188 mm (7.4 in.) wingspan.
• Black to silvery white body color.
• Body size varies from elongate and conical to broad and wide.
• Pair of forewings and hindwings which fold upright or are held tent-like at rest.
• Most species with multi-patterned forewings varying between dark to bright colors creating distinct markings.
• Several species with uniform colored hindwings ranging from silvery white to black.
• Some species with a feathery hindwinghindwing:
  the posterior or rear pair of wings in insects
  appearance.
• Scaled wings, abdomenabdomen:
  one of the three body segments in insects; the most posterior segment containing the heart, reproductive organs, and digestive organs
  , thoraxthorax:
  one of the three main body segments in an insect, located between the head and abdomen, where the wings and legs of the insect attach
  , and headhead:
  one of the three main body segments in insects; the anterior-most segment containing the many sensory structures including the eyes, antennae, and mouthparts
  that appear dust-like when touched.
• Sucking mouthparts with a small labrum at the base of a long, coiled proboscis.
• Well-developed labial palps which extend forward in front of the face when feeding.
• Several species with two ocelli near the just above each compound eyecompound eye:
  an eye comprised of many individual eye elements called ommatidia that each have a lens; the main visual organ in insects
  .
• Several species with tympana located either ventrolaterally on the metathoraxmetathorax:
  the third and last segment of the thorax
  or on the anterioranterior:
  situated near the front of the body; nearer to the head
  sternite of the abdomenabdomen:
  one of the three body segments in insects; the most posterior segment containing the heart, reproductive organs, and digestive organs
  .
• Lepidoptera have tibial spurs, tarsal claws, or leg spines collectively used for identification.

Pupae

• Appendages firmly attached to pupal casing.
• Cylindrical in shape.
• Mostly smooth though few species have dorsaldorsal:
  the upper surface of an insect
  spines.
• Pupa initially light green to reddish brown but darkens and often becomes transparent before adult emergenceemergence:
  used to describe the completion pupation that culminates in the appearance of the adult form of an insect
  .

Larvae

• Smallest 3 mm (0.12 in.).
• Largest - 114.3 mm (4.5 in.).
• 4 to 7 larval instars. In some species, the final larval instarinstar:
  immature stages (larva or nymph) of insects in between molts
  is dedicated to spinning the silksilk:
  a natural fiber produced by some insects that can be utilized to construct shelters, leave a trail, build a cocoon, etc.
  cocooncocoon:
  the protective covering around the pupa of some insects
  .
• Early instars are often gregariousgregarious:
  exhibiting the behavior of moving or feeding in a group of individuals of the same species; early instars of many insects feed in groups
  and later instars are typically solitarysolitary:
  insects that feed or move about individually, not in groups
  .
• Early instars range from pale green to translucent but develop either a mottled appearance or assorted patterns (stripes, spots, or dashes) that darken over successive instars.
• Most larvae are caterpillar-like consisting of a cylindrical body with 13 segments.
• Few species have a flattened body shape for moving and feeding within the host epidermis.
• Downward facing headhead:
  one of the three main body segments in insects; the anterior-most segment containing the many sensory structures including the eyes, antennae, and mouthparts
  and a pair of well-developed abdominal prolegs on each thoracic segment. Some species without legs, prolegs, and crochets (hook-like structures at end of the prolegs).
• Six simple eyes (stemmata) and pair of short antennae above the chewing mouthpartschewing mouthparts:
  mouthparts designed for biting and chewing; mandibles move from side to side with overlapping edges that cut like scissors as well as surfaces for grinding; characteristic of orthopterans <a href="http://idtools.org/id/citrus/pests/morphology.php?state[]=head#mouthparts"></a>
  .
• Few species have a snake-like headhead:
  one of the three main body segments in insects; the anterior-most segment containing the many sensory structures including the eyes, antennae, and mouthparts
  or appear like a bird dropping.

Eggs

• Smallest - 0.2 mm (0.008 in.).
• Largest - 1.5 mm (0.06 in.).
• Initially creamy-white to golden-brown but darkens over time.
• Normally spherical or with a flat and oval shape. Some species with tapered ends or hemispherical with a flat side fixed to the foliage.
• Textured with fine, longitudinal lines.
• Eggs are laid singly or in masses on either the upper or lower leaf surface.
• Several species deposit layered egg masses covered within a cotton-like protective covering or brown scales.

Hosts

Citrus hosts

Several lepidopterans have all citrus species and their hybrids listed as hosts including the cabbage looper, cotton cutworm, Egyptian cottonworm, false codling moth, giant swallowtail, and light brown apple moth. See the individual fact sheets for more detailed information.

Non-citrus hosts

Lepidoptera have a broad host rangehost range:
the range of species that a particular organism can feed on to achieve successful growth and reproduction
that includes weeds as well as vegetable, field, and flower crops. See individual fact sheets for more detailed information.

Host damage

Refer to the individual fact sheets for each lepidopteran species for more detailed information.

Flowers

Larvae can feed on blossoms, flower buds, and shoots.

Fruit

Lepidopteran damage to fruit is species specific. It may involve mines in the epidermis of the fruit, holes in the rind, or extensive boring and pulppulp:
the soft, moist, internal part of the citrus fruit, beneath the rind and albedo layers
feeding in the interior of the fruit. Damage may occur on small, hard developing fruit or ripe fruit and can result in early fruit drop.

Leaves

Lepidopteran larvae feed primarily on the leaves of their host plants. They may exhibit a preference for new growth flushes. Visible damage differs depending on the lepidopteran species. They may feed on the lower leaf surface, chew large holes completely through the leaves, or skeletonize the leaves with only the leaf veins remaining. In the case of mining lepidopterans, the larvae produce tunnels beneath the epidermis that can result in deformation, yellowing (chlorosis), or leaf drop.

Roots

In root-feeding species, larvae may burrow down into the soil to feed on host planthost plant:
the plant the provides sustenance for an insect
roots during the day.

Biology

An adult lepidopteran female may lay several hundred eggs in her lifetime. Eggs are typically deposited directly on the host planthost plant:
the plant the provides sustenance for an insect
, either singly or in clusters. Eggs may be deposited on leaves, developing fruit, fallen fruit, near blossoms, on the tip of a branch, or in masses that are covered by scales.

Eggs typically hatch in less than a week. Most early instarinstar:
immature stages (larva or nymph) of insects in between molts
larvae feed in groups (gregarious). Host planthost plant:
the plant the provides sustenance for an insect
damage is species-specific. Most species feed on the leaves, flowers, or fruit. However, some will feed on the roots as well.

After extensive host planthost plant:
the plant the provides sustenance for an insect
feeding through multiple instars, lepidopteran larvae pupate. Pupation can occur directly on the host planthost plant:
the plant the provides sustenance for an insect
, underground, or in the leaf litter. Butterfly larvae develop a chrysalischrysalis:
another term for the pupa of a butterfly
which typically hangs upside down by a silken thread on the host planthost plant:
the plant the provides sustenance for an insect
. Moths typically form a cocooncocoon:
the protective covering around the pupa of some insects
, often using silksilk:
a natural fiber produced by some insects that can be utilized to construct shelters, leave a trail, build a cocoon, etc.
or dirt and oral secretions. Some species emerge with a week or two while others overwinter as pupae, emerging as adults the following spring.

Usually butterflies are diurnal and moths are nocturnal. However, several moth species are active at dawn and dusk. Sexual dimorphism, where males and females vary in appearance, is a common trait in Lepidoptera.

Comments

Note: Adult moths and butterflies are often confused for one another. Each group can be easily distinguished through several characteristics.

	Moths	Butterflies
Antennae	Varies. Usually thread-like with either consistent thickness (filiform) or gradual tapering (setaceous).	Slender and knobbed at the tip.
Activity period	Active at night (nocturnal).	Active during the day (diurnal).
Resting posture	Wings held tent-like or spread out flat.	Wings are held upright and close to the body.

Note: Pupae of moths and butterflies are commonly mistaken for one another. Several characteristics can be used to differentiate the two groups.

	Moths	Butterflies
Pupal casing type	A silksilk: a natural fiber produced by some insects that can be utilized to construct shelters, leave a trail, build a cocoon, etc. or dirt casing that contains developing pupa (cocoon).	A smooth, hardened outer covering of an developing pupa (chrysalis).
Pupal casing composition	Silk silk: a natural fiber produced by some insects that can be utilized to construct shelters, leave a trail, build a cocoon, etc. spun by the caterpillarcaterpillar: common name for larval lepidopterans (butterflies and moths) or dirt held together by oral secretions.	Hardened caterpillarcaterpillar: common name for larval lepidopterans (butterflies and moths) skin.
Pupal casing location	Either on the host planthost plant: the plant the provides sustenance for an insect or underground.	Suspended upside down by a set of spines or hooks on the posteriorposterior: orientation pertaining to the rear of the body tip of the abdomenabdomen: one of the three body segments in insects; the most posterior segment containing the heart, reproductive organs, and digestive organs called the cremastercremaster: a hook or series of hooks at the terminal end of the abdomen in some lepidopterans, used to attach the butterfly or moth to the pupation site .

References

Heppner, J.B. 1998. Featured Creatures: Citrus leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Insecta: Lepdioptera: Gracillariidae: Phyllocnistinae). University of Florida - Department of Entomology and Nematology. Extension Publication EENY-38. (http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/citrus/citrus_leafminer.htm).

Stelinski, L. 2007. Featured Creatures: Citrus peelminer, Marmara gulosa Gullièn and Davis (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae). University of Florida - Department of Entomology and Nematology. Extension Publication EENY-415. (http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/citrus/citrus_peelminer.htm).

McAuslane, H. 1998. Featured Creatures: Giant swallowtail, Papilio cresphontes Cramer (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). University of Florida - Department of Entomology and Nematology. Extension Publication EENY-8. (http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/citrus/giantswallowtail.htm).

Triplehorn, C., and N. Johnson. 2004. Lepidoptera pp. 571- 579. In Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the study of insects. 7th ed. Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning. Belmonte, California.

Authors

Guerrero, S., J.A. Weeks, and A.C. Hodges