Superfamily Noctuoidea

Kingdom: Animalia > Phylum: Arthropoda > Class: Insecta > Order: Lepidoptera > Superfamily: Noctuoidea These are the owlet moths, or night owls, tigers, ermines, footmen and allies. According to the LepIndex, this superfamily now only includes 6 families with over 65,000 described species. Family Erebidae (tigers, ermines, footmen and allies) This used to be a … Continue reading "Superfamily Noctuoidea"

Read More

Superfamily Bombycoidea

Kingdom: Animalia > Phylum: Arthropoda > Class: Insecta > Order: Lepidoptera > Superfamily: Bombycoidea This is an ecologically diverse superfamily of moths that contains the silk moths, emperor moths, sphinx moths, and similar. These are generally large or very large with the males having comb-like antennae. There have been some changes and some families of … Continue reading "Superfamily Bombycoidea"

Read More

Subphylum Hexapoda — Insects & Relatives

Hexapods represent the most successful body plan in the history of terrestrial life. The name Hexapoda literally translates to “six feet,” which is the defining characteristic of this group. Unlike other arthropods like spiders (eight legs) or centipedes (many legs), hexapods have a body strictly divided into three sections: a head, a thorax (where the … Continue reading "Subphylum Hexapoda — Insects & Relatives"

Read More

Superfamily Papilionoidea

Kingdom: Animalia > Phylum: Arthropoda > Class: Insecta > Order: Lepidoptera > Superfamily: Papilionoidea Skippers(Hesperiidae) Gossamer-winged(Lycaenidae) Brush-footed(Nymphalidae) Swallowtails(Papilionidae) Whites & Sulphurs(Pieridae) Metalmarks(Riodinidae) Papilionoidea are the true butterflies.  The skippers used to be in their own superfamily but are now usually included here. Many of the families have been further subdivided into subfamilies.  Click the button … Continue reading "Superfamily Papilionoidea"

Read More

Phylum Arthropoda — Arthropods

Arthropods are bilaterally symmetrical invertebrates with segmented bodies, jointed appendages, and a rigid external skeleton made primarily of chitin, often strengthened with calcium salts. This exoskeleton must be shed periodically through moulting to allow growth. They are the most diverse and abundant animals on Earth, representing over 80% of all known species and occupying almost … Continue reading "Phylum Arthropoda — Arthropods"

Read More