180,000 species of Lepidoptera are described, equivalent to 10% of the total described species of living organisms. This is a list of the diversity of the Lepidoptera showing the estimated number of genera and species described for each superfamily and, where available, family. See Lepidoptera for a note of the schedule of families used.
SuperfamilyFamilyGeneraSpeciesMicropterigiodeaMicropterigidae6182AgathiphagoideaAgathiphagidae12HeterobathmioideaHeterobathmiidae19EriocranioideaEriocraniidae625AcanthopteroctedoideaAcanthopteroctetidae25LophocoronoideaLophocoronidae16NeopseustoideaNeopseustidae310MnesarchaeoideaMnesarchaeidae114Hepialoidea 68630 Anomosetidae11 Hepialidae61606 Neotheoridae11 Palaeosetidae47 Prototheoridae115Nepticuloidea 291,076 Nepticulidae22862 Opostegidae7214Adeloidea 72598 Adelidae Cecidosidae Heliozelidae Incurvariidae Prodoxidae1280PalaephatoideaPalaephatidae760TischerioideaTischeriidae5110SimaethistoideaSimaethistidae24Tineoidea 4064,352 Acrolophidae 300 Arrhenophanidae526 Eriocottidae Lypusidae Psychidae Tineidae3203,000Gracillarioidea 902,315 Bucculatricidae Douglasiidae Gracillariidae752,000 Roeslerstammiidae Yponomeutoidea 831,578 Acrolepiidae Bedelliidae Glyphipterigidae 384 Heliodinidae Lyonetiidae Plutellidae 100 Yponomeutidae 600 Ypsolophidae Gelechioidea 1,39015,966 Agonoxenidae Batrachedridae Blastobasidae Coleophoridae431,418 Cosmopterigidae1061,628 Elachistidae1653,270 Ethmiidae Gelechiidae5074,530 Holcopogonidae Lecithoceridae Metachandidae Momphidae Oecophoridae Pterolonchidae Scythrididae Symmocidae GalacticoideaGalacticidae317Zygaenoidea 982,700 Aididae Anomoeotidae Cyclotornidae15 Dalceridae Epipyropidae Heterogynidae Himantopteridae Lacturidae Limacodidae 1,100 Megalopygidae Somabrachyidae Zygaenidae Cossoidea 114676 Cossidae113670 Dudgeoneidae1Sesioidea 1491,360 Brachodidae 150 Castniidae Sesiidae1491,362ChoreutoideaChoreutidae12405TortricoideaTortricidae7556,338Urodoidea462 Urodidae360 Ustyurtiidae1 2SchreckensteinioideaSchreckensteiniidae412EpermenioideaEpermeniidae583Alucitoidea 15158 Alucitidae 130 Tineodidae PterophoroideaPterophoridae73986WhalleyanoideaWhalleyanidae12ImmoideaImmidae6246Copromorphoidea 29318 Carposinidae Copromorphidae HyblaeoideaHyblaeidae218Pyraloidea 2,09215,576 Crambidae1,01510,094 Pyralidae1,0775,900ThyridoideaThyrididae121,220MimallonoideaMimallonidae41291Lasiocampoidea 1581,575 Anthelidae Lasiocampidae1501,500Bombycoidea 4663,425 Bombycidae Brahmaeidae Carthaeidae Endromidae Eupterotidae Lemoniidae Mirinidae Saturniidae1651,480 Sphingidae2001,200CimelioideaCimeliidae26CalliduloideaCallidulidae860HedyloideaHedylidae140HesperioideaHesperiidae5503,500Papilionoidea 1,40014,000 Lycaenidae5664,698 Nymphalidae6335,698 Papilionidae26605 Pieridae741,051 Riodinidae1401,250Drepanoidea 129675 Drepanidae123665Geometroidea 2,10723,748 Epicopeiidae920 Geometridae2,00223,002 Sematuridae640 Uraniidae90686Noctuoidea 7,25070,000 Arctiidae 11,000 Doidae Erebidae1,76024,569 Euteliidae29520 Lymantriidae3602,500 Noctuidae1,08911,772 Nolidae1861,738 Notodontidae7043,800 Oenosandridae48 Pantheidae
References
Kristensen, N.P. (Ed.). 1999. Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies. Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbuch der Zoologie. Eine Naturgeschichte der Stämme des Tierreiches / Handbook of Zoology. A Natural History of the phyla of the Animal Kingdom. Band / Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta Teilband / Part 35: 491 pp. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York.