The natural world is full of seemingly bizarre relationships, some nearly unbelievable. Moths transferring orchid pollen on their eyeballs is one of those. The orchid family (Orchidaceae) is massive, ...

Understanding the Context

Moths make up the vast majority of the order. There are approximately 160,000 species of moth, [2] many of which have yet to be described. Most species of moth are nocturnal, although there are also crepuscular and diurnal species. Moths have a multi-stage life cycle, and undergo metamorphosis.

Key Insights

A moth is any of about 160,000 species of primarily nocturnal flying insects of order Lepidoptera. An in-depth exploration of moth species, shedding light on their beauty, diversity, and the critical roles they play in nature. Like butterflies, moths are holometabolous insects that undergo complete metamorphosis through four distinct stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult. As adults, most species feed primarily on floral nectar, which they extract using an elongated, straw-like mouthpart, the proboscis. Moths are insect closely related to butterflies.

Final Thoughts

Both belong to the order Lepidoptera. The differences between butterflies and moths is more than just taxonomy. Scientists have identified some 200,000 species of moths world wide and suspect there may be as many as five times that amount. Moths are in the insect Order Lepidoptera, and share this Order with Butterflies. There are some 160,000 species of moths in the world, compared to 17,500 species of butterflies. In the United States, there are nearly 11,000 species of moths.

Distinctive characteristics. Moth Identification get closer to the wonders of the natural world. The adults of some species (e.g. the luna moth) do not eat at all.