Kingdom: Animalia > Phylum: Arthropoda > Class: Insecta > Order: Lepidoptera

This is the second-largest order of insects with over 180,000 species comprising around 10% of all described species of living organisms. The name Lepidoptera comes from Greek and means ‘scale wing’ due to their wings being covered with microscopic scales, which are iridescent and often brightly coloured. The larva, usually a caterpillar, are mostly herbivores and have well-developed mouthparts. In the adults, the mouthparts are vestigial or form a tubular, coiled, proboscis used for siphoning liquid nutrients like nectar from flowers. Some also pierce the skin of fruit.

The silkworm, Bombyx mori, has great commercial value but the caterpillars of many species are regarded as pests as they can be highly destructive to crops and forests.

Butterflies vs. moths

The distinction between moths and butterflies is largely artificial and some moths are more similar to butterflies than to other moths. Generally, moths are mostly nocturnal whereas butterflies are diurnal. Butterflies are also usually more brightly coloured and have hooks or knobss at the end of their antennae whereas moths tend to be less colourful with antennae that are thread, spindle or comb-like. There are many exceptions and there are some beautiful brightly coloured moths. There are many more moth than butterfly species.

Classification

Here like elsewhere there have been many changes but the focus seems now to be on superfamilies. I have mostly used the Global Lepidoptera Names Index, LepIndex, from the Natural History Museum

Superfamilies

The list with the number of species has been taken from the Catalogue of Life (CoL). They mostly use the LepIndex for their data but it has not been updated since 2017.  When placing a species in a family I have used the LepIndex.

1. Superfamily Acanthopteroctetoidea • 3 living spp
2. Superfamily Adeloidea#
3. Superfamily Agathiphagoidea • 2 living spp •
4. Superfamily Alucitoidea • 186 living spp •
5. Superfamily Axioidea • 5 living spp •
6. Superfamily Bombycoidea • 3,467 living spp •
7. Superfamily Calliduloidea • 53 living spp •
8. Superfamily Choreutoidea • 366 living spp •
9. Superfamily Copromorphoidea • 345 living spp •
10. Superfamily Cossoidea • 1,074 living spp •
11. Superfamily Drepanoidea • 766 living spp •
12. Superfamily Epermenioidea • 98 living spp •
13. Superfamily Eriocranioidea • 24 living spp •
14. Superfamily Galacticoidea • 12 living spp •
15. Superfamily Gelechioidea • 16,884 living spp •
16. Superfamily Geometroidea • 22,029 living spp •
17. Superfamily Gracillarioidea • 2,155 living spp •
18. Superfamily Hedyloidea • 33 living spp •
19. Superfamily Hepialoidea • 577 living spp •
20. Superfamily Hesperioidea • 3,430 living spp •
21. Superfamily Heterobathmioidea • 2 living spp •
22. Superfamily Hyblaeoidea • 41 living spp •
23. Superfamily Immoidea • 238 living spp •
24. Superfamily Incurvarioidea • 600 living spp •
25. Superfamily Lasiocampoidea • 1,843 living spp •
26. Superfamily Lophocoronoidea • 3 living spp •
27. Superfamily Micropterigoidea • 116 living spp •
28. Superfamily Mimallonoidea • 201 living spp •
29. Superfamily Mnesarchaeoidea • 6 living spp •
30. Superfamily Neopseustoidea • 10 living spp •
31. Superfamily Nepticuloidea • 1,055 living spp •
32. Superfamily Noctuoidea • 41,365 living spp •
33. Superfamily Palaephatoidea • 13 living spp •
34. Superfamily Papilionoidea (butterflies)
 • 15,619 living spp •
35. Superfamily Pterophoroidea • 1,463 living spp •
36. Superfamily Pyraloidea • 15,651 living spp •
37. Superfamily Schreckensteinioidea • 12 living spp •
38. Superfamily Sesioidea • 1,464 living spp •
39. Superfamily Simaethistoidea • 4 living spp •
40. Superfamily Thyridoidea • 818 living spp •
41. Superfamily Tineoidea • 3,896 living spp •
42. Superfamily Tischerioidea • 82 living spp •
43. Superfamily Tortricoidea • 8,692 living spp •
44. Superfamily Urodoidea • 62 living spp •
45. Superfamily Whalleyanoidea • 2 living spp •
46. Superfamily Yponomeutoidea • 1,930 living spp •
47. Superfamily Zygaenoidea • 3,123 living spp •

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#Not a Superfamily in CoL

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Below are a few butterflies and moths found in the UK