Butterflies & Moths
Order Lepidoptera
809 speciesKnown for their large, often colorful wings covered in tiny scales. Lepidoptera undergo complete metamorphosis through egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages.
Species in this Order
Brimstone
Gonepteryx rhamni
Males are vivid sulphur-yellow; females are pale greenish-white. Leaf-shaped wings provide excellent...
Brimstone Moth
Opisthograptis luteolata
A bright yellow moth with chestnut-brown blotches along the leading edge of each wing. It is a commo...
Broad-Bordered Bee Hawk-Moth
Hemaris fuciformis
A day-flying sphinx moth with transparent wings that mimic a bumblebee. The scales on its wings fall...
Brown Argus
Aricia agestis
A small chocolate-brown butterfly with a row of bright orange crescent-shaped spots around the wing ...
Brown Hairstreak
Thecla betulae
A secretive butterfly with rich brown wings and an orange flash on the female's forewings. Adults sp...
Brown House Moth
Hofmannophila pseudospretella
A dull bronze-brown moth with darker flecks that is a widespread household pest. Unlike clothes moth...
Brown-tail Moth
Euproctis chrysorrhoea
A white moth with a conspicuous brown tuft of hairs at the tip of its abdomen, used to cover its egg...
Brutus Charaxes
Charaxes brutus
A large and powerful butterfly with black and white banding on the upper wings and intricate reddish...
Buck Moth
Hemileuca maia
A day-flying black and white moth with a red-tipped abdomen that appears in autumn. Its spiny caterp...
Buff Arches
Habrosyne pyritoides
A moth with intricate grey, white, and buff patterns creating a complex marbled effect on its forewi...
Buff Ermine Moth
Spilosoma lutea
A creamy-buff moth with scattered dark spots and a distinctive dark streak along the forewing costa....
Buff-tip
Phalera bucephala
A moth that mimics a broken birch twig with remarkable precision when at rest. Its silvery-grey wing...
Burnet Companion
Euclidia glyphica
A small day-flying brown and orange moth often seen flying alongside burnet moths on flower-rich gra...
Burnished Brass
Diachrysia chrysitis
A moth with brilliant metallic gold and bronze patches on its forewings that gleam like polished met...
Cabbage Looper
Trichoplusia ni
A pale green caterpillar that moves in a distinctive looping motion and feeds on brassica crops. The...
Cabbage Moth
Mamestra brassicae
A mottled grey-brown moth with kidney-shaped and circular stigmata on the forewings. Its caterpillar...
Cabbage Tree Emperor Moth
Bunaea alcinoe
A large emperor moth with reddish-brown wings bearing prominent eyespots. Larvae are gregarious and ...
Cactoblastis Moth
Cactoblastis cactorum
Originally from South America, this moth was introduced to Australia in 1926 as a biological control...
Caenis Glider
Cymothoe caenis
A widespread West African forest butterfly with orange-tawny males and brownish females with white m...
Cairns Birdwing
Ornithoptera euphorion
Australias largest endemic butterfly with males displaying vivid green and black wings. Females are ...
Calleta Silk Moth
Eupackardia calleta
A dark brown silk moth with striking white crescent markings and a broad white postmedial band on ea...
Camberwell Beauty
Nymphalis antiopa
A large, velvety maroon butterfly with a broad creamy-yellow wing border and a row of blue spots. It...
Canary Islands Admiral Butterfly
Vanessa vulcania
An endemic butterfly closely related to the red admiral, found in the Canary Islands and Madeira. It...
Canary Islands Blue Butterfly
Cyclyrius webbianus
A small endemic blue butterfly found on the Canary Islands. Males have bright violet-blue upperwings...
Canary Islands Brimstone Butterfly
Gonepteryx cleobule
A bright yellow butterfly endemic to the Canary Islands, larger than its European relatives. It is f...
Canary Islands Large White Butterfly
Pieris cheiranthi
A large white butterfly endemic to the Canary Islands with prominent dark wing markings. It is found...
Canary-shouldered Thorn
Ennomos alniaria
An autumn moth with bright canary-yellow fur on its thorax and warm orange-yellow wings. When at res...
Cantor's Hawk Moth
Ambulyx cantorii
A large leaf-mimicking hawk moth with intricately patterned brown and cream forewings. Named after t...
Carolina Sphinx Moth
Manduca sexta
A large gray sphinx moth whose caterpillar, the tobacco hornworm, is a well-known pest of tomato and...
Carpenterworm Moth
Prionoxystus robiniae
A large North American moth whose larvae bore into the heartwood of oaks, elms, and other hardwoods....
Casemaking Clothes Moth
Tinea pellionella
A small silvery-brown moth whose larva constructs a portable silken case that it drags along as it f...
Cecropia Moth
Hyalophora cecropia
The largest native moth in North America with reddish-brown wings bearing white comma-shaped marks a...
Central Asian Apollo
Parnassius actius
A large, high-altitude Apollo butterfly of the Pamir and Tian Shan mountains. It has a powerful glid...
Chalk Hill Blue
Polyommatus coridon
A large blue butterfly with silvery-blue males and brown females. Restricted to chalk and limestone ...
Chequered Skipper
Carterocephalus palaemon
A small dark butterfly with bold orange-yellow chequered spots, once found in English woodlands but ...
Chimera Birdwing
Ornithoptera chimaera
A large montane birdwing butterfly found in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. It occurs at elevatio...
Chimney Sweeper Moth
Odezia atrata
A small, entirely sooty-black day-flying moth with white-tipped wing fringes. It flies over grasslan...
Chinese Character Moth
Cilix glaucata
A tiny moth whose resting posture perfectly mimics a bird dropping on a leaf. Its white wings bear a...
Chinese Moon Moth
Actias dubernardi
A rare and exquisitely beautiful moon moth with pink-tinged green wings and extraordinarily long, cu...
Chinese Oak Silk Moth
Antheraea pernyi
A large tawny-brown silk moth with prominent translucent eyespots on each wing. It has been cultivat...
Chinese Peacock Swallowtail
Papilio bianor
A large swallowtail with dark wings that shimmer with brilliant blue-green iridescence. Its hindwing...
Chinese Tussar Moth
Antheraea frithi
A large wild silk moth with rich brown wings bearing four prominent transparent eyespots. It produce...
Chinese Windmill
Atrophaneura alcinous
A dark swallowtail butterfly with crimson patches on the hindwings and a slow fluttering flight. The...
Chinese Windmill Butterfly
Byasa alcinous
A dark swallowtail with red-spotted hindwings that rotates its wings in a slow windmill-like pattern...
Chocolate-tip Moth
Clostera curtula
A small greyish moth with a rich chocolate-brown patch at the tip of each forewing. It rests with it...
Cinnabar Moth
Tyria jacobaeae
A day-flying moth with charcoal-black wings marked with crimson-red stripes and spots. It has been d...
Cistus Forester
Adscita statices
A small, metallic green day-flying moth found on chalk grassland and damp meadows. Males have feathe...
Citrus Swallowtail
Papilio demodocus
A common large swallowtail with cream and black patterned wings and blue-red eyespots on the hindwin...
Clara's Satin Moth
Thalaina clara
An Australian moth with satiny white wings marked with orange bands. Found in eastern Australia and ...
Claudina Metalmark
Mesosemia claudia
A small, dark-winged metalmark butterfly with fine silvery-blue spots along the wing margins. It res...
Cleopatra Butterfly
Gonepteryx cleopatra
A large butterfly with deep orange forewings in males and pale greenish wings in females. Common in ...
Clifden Nonpareil Moth
Catocala fraxini
A large underwing moth with spectacular blue-black hindwings concealed at rest....
Clipper Butterfly
Parthenos sylvia
A powerful gliding butterfly with broad wings marked in pale blue-green, brown, and white. It has a ...
Clouded Apollo
Parnassius mnemosyne
A delicate, semi-translucent white butterfly with dark wing veins and small dark spots. It flies slo...
Clouded Buff Moth
Diacrisia sannio
A medium-sized moth where males are golden-buff and females are pinkish with darker wing borders. Ma...
Clouded Skipper
Lerema accius
A dark brown skipper with small glassy white spots on its forewings. It is one of the most common gr...
Clouded Yellow
Colias croceus
A fast-flying bright orange-yellow butterfly with black wing borders. A pale female form called heli...
Cloudless Sulphur
Phoebis sennae
Large unmarked lemon-yellow butterfly; females may have faint spots. Common and conspicuous across t...
Coccinata Glider
Cymothoe coccinata
A medium-sized butterfly with brilliant scarlet-red males and mottled brown females. It glides grace...
Codling Moth
Cydia pomonella
A small grey-brown moth whose larvae are the proverbial worm in the apple. It is the most economical...
Coffee Bee Hawk Moth
Cephonodes picus
A smaller clearwing hawk moth with transparent wings and a compact olive and yellow body. It is ofte...
Columbia Silk Moth
Hyalophora columbia
A large reddish-brown silk moth closely related to the cecropia moth but found in northern bog habit...
Comet Moth
Argema mittrei
One of the worlds largest silk moths, with brilliant yellow wings and tail spans reaching 20 cm. End...
Comma Butterfly
Polygonia c-album
Orange butterfly with ragged wing edges and a small white comma-shaped mark on the underside. The ir...
Common Bagworm Moth
Psyche casta
A small moth whose larva builds a distinctive portable bag from silk and plant debris that it carrie...
Common Birdwing
Troides helena
A large birdwing butterfly with velvety black forewings and bright golden-yellow hindwings in males....
Common Blue Butterfly
Polyommatus icarus
A small butterfly where males are vivid violet-blue and females are brown with orange spots. It is t...
Common Blue Morpho
Morpho peleides
Vivid iridescent blue upper wings with brown, spotted undersides. Commonly featured in butterfly hou...
Common Buckeye
Junonia coenia
Brown butterfly with prominent eyespots on all four wings. Eyespots deter predators by mimicking the...
Common Carpet Moth
Epirrhoe alternata
A small moth with distinctive dark and light banded forewings creating a chequered pattern. It is do...
Common Crow Butterfly
Euploea core
Dark brown wings with rows of white marginal spots. Highly toxic due to alkaloids sequestered from i...
Common Cruiser
Vindula erota
A large and striking butterfly with warm orange-brown wings marked with black lines and white spots....
Common Euphaedra
Euphaedra medon
A forest-dwelling butterfly with deep orange-brown wings and distinctive blue-purple iridescent band...
Common Footman Moth
Eilema lurideola
A narrow-winged grey moth with a distinctive yellow-orange leading edge on the forewing. It rests wi...
Common Graphium
Graphium leonidas
A striking swallowtail butterfly with black wings marked with pale blue-green translucent spots. It ...
Common Jezebel
Delias eucharis
A medium butterfly with white uppersides and brilliantly colored red and yellow patterned undersides...
Common Leopard
Phalanta phalantha
A medium-sized tawny butterfly with black spots arranged in a leopard-like pattern across the wings....
Common Lime Butterfly
Papilio demoleus
Black swallowtail covered in pale yellow spots and lacking hindwing tails. A major pest of citrus ac...
Common Mime
Papilio clytia
A polymorphic swallowtail butterfly that exists in two main forms: one mimicking the toxic Common Cr...
Common Mormon
Papilio polytes
Males are plain black with a cream band; females occur in multiple forms mimicking different toxic s...
Common Nawab
Polyura athamas
A large butterfly with pale green-white wings edged in black with two prominent hindwing tails. It h...
Common Quaker
Orthosia cerasi
A drab but very common spring moth attracted to sallow blossom. Variable brown coloring. Named 'quak...
Common Rose Swallowtail
Pachliopta aristolochiae
A striking black and crimson swallowtail butterfly common across South and Southeast Asia. Its body ...
Common Rustic
Mesapamea secalis
A highly variable common moth that forms a species complex with the Lesser Common Rustic. External a...
Common Sootywing
Pholisora catullus
A very small sooty-black skipper with scattered tiny white spots on the forewings. It is a common bu...
Common Swift Moth
Korscheltellus lupulina
A small brownish moth with faint white streaks that emerges in large numbers in early summer evening...
Common Tiger
Danaus genutia
A tawny-orange butterfly with black veins and white-spotted black wing margins, resembling the Monar...
Common Tree Nymph
Idea stolli
A very large butterfly with translucent white wings heavily veined and spotted in black. It flies wi...
Common Wainscot Moth
Mythimna pallens
A plain straw-colored moth with a white hindwing and few distinguishing marks. It is abundant in gra...
Common Windmill
Byasa polyeuctes
A black swallowtail with red body spots and white-patched hindwings that flutter in a distinctive wi...
Congo Moth
Dactyloceras lucina
A large brown emperor moth with distinctive serrated wing margins and large eyespots. Males have bro...
Convolvulus Hawk-moth
Agrius convolvuli
A powerful migrant hawk-moth with a streamlined grey body and pink-banded abdomen. It possesses an e...
Copper Jewel
Hypochrysops ignitus
Brilliant coppery-orange upper wings with iridescent purple-blue reflections. One of Australia's mos...
Coppery Dysphania
Dysphania cuprina
A brightly colored day-flying moth widespread across Southeast Asia. The metallic coppery-gold and b...
Coral Hairstreak
Satyrium titus
A tailless hairstreak butterfly with a row of bright coral-red spots along the hindwing margin. Its ...
Cork Moth
Nemapogon cloacella
A small mottled brown and cream moth that naturally breeds in bracket fungi on trees. It occasionall...
Corn Earworm
Helicoverpa zea
A highly polyphagous moth whose caterpillars feed inside corn ears, tomato fruits, and cotton bolls....
Corsican Swallowtail
Papilio hospiton
A large swallowtail endemic to the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia with heavily patter...
Corvus Skipper
Trapezites symmomus
A robust dark skipper butterfly with orange-spotted wings found in sedge-rich wetlands. It is endemi...
Coxcomb Prominent Moth
Ptilodon capucina
A variably colored prominent moth ranging from pale brown to deep chestnut. A raised crest of scales...