1. The taxonomy of Lepidoptera has recently been updated based on new evidence from morphology and molecular data. 2. There are now 4 suborders: Zeugloptera, Aglossata, Heterobathmiina, and Glossata. Previously there were only 3 suborders. 3. Within the suborders, there have been revisions to some superfamilies and families based on relationships between groups being clarified. The new classification aims to better reflect evolutionary relationships between Lepidoptera groups.

1. RECENT TAXONOMIC
CLASSIFICATION OF LEPIDOPTERA
KARTHIKEYAN, S (2015 800503)
Ph.D., Scholar,
Agricultural Entomology,
TNAU, Coimbatore.

2. WHY RECENT?
• CHANGE IS INEVITABLE PROGRESS IS OPTIONAL

3. PROLOGUE
• Monophyly
• Half million extant species
• 160,000 described species
• On average, 1000 described/year recently – micro moths>butterflies
Species diversity of Lepidoptera
Extant species
Described
species

4. New species described

5. Hierarchy
• Unranked : Mecopterida / 'panorpoid‘
• Super order : Amphiesmenoptera (Lepidoptera + Trichoptera)
• Order : Lepidoptera
• Sub orders
: Zeugloptera Zeugloptera
: Ditrysia Aglossata
: Monotrysia Heterobathmiina
: Dachnonypha Glossata
THEN NOW

6. Lepidoptera
Suborder
1. Zeugloptera
Sub orders
2. Aglossata
3. Heterobathmiina
4. Glossata

7. Zeugloptera (Micropterigoidea)
• Larvae as 'soil animals' - feed on foliose liverworts
(decomposing angiosperms & fungus hyphae)
• Adults - diurnal - fern spores or angiosperm pollen.
• Dependence on flowering plants - secondary
• Morphologically
• larval head-capsule with unique lateral dorsoventral
muscle
• hypertrophied and angularly bent pupal mandible
• molecular evidence (Wiegmann et al. 2002)
Family : Micropterigidae

8. Lepidoptera
Suborder
Aglossata
Sub orders
Heterobathmiina
Glossata
• (Agathiphagoidea + Heterobathmioidea) ?
• Assemblage seem less convincing (Kristensen 1998)

9. Aglossata (Agathiphagoidea)
• Primitive tongue moths
• Family: Agathiphagidae
• Kauri moths – Agathis robusta

10. Heterobathmiina (Heterobathmioidea)
• Extant members - entirely dependent on angiosperms
• Larvae are miners in Notophagus leaves
• Adults feed on the pollen of Notophagus trees
Family: Heterobathmiidae

11. Glossata
• Each galea elongated and medially concave
• Mandibles loosing articulations with head-capsule
• Epistomal sulcus disappearing
• Six basal clades
• Eriocranioidea, Acanthopteroctetoidea, Lophocoronoidea, Neopseustoidea (all
four with just a single small family),
• Exoporia (Mnesarchaeoidea + Hepialoidea) and Heteroneura (all other Glossata)
• All Lepidoptera outside the Heteroneura are collectively as ‘homoneurans’

12. Superfamily: Hepialoidea (5 families)
• Family : Palaeosetidae,
• Family : Prototheoridae,
• Family : Neotheoridae,
• Family : Anomosetidae,
• Family : Hepialidae

13. • Superfamily Nepticuloidea
• Family Nepticulidae
• Family Opostegidae
• Superfamily Andesianoidea
• Family Andesianidae
• Superfamily Adeloidea
• Family Heliozelidae
• Family Adelidae
• Family Incurvariidae
• Family Cecidosidae
• Family Prodoxidae
• Superfamily Palaephatoidea
• Family Palaephatidae
• Superfamily Tischerioidea
• Family Tischeriidae

14. •Superfamily Tineoidea
• Family Eriocottidae
• Family Psychidae
• Family Tineidae
•Superfamily Gracillarioidea
• Family Roeslerstammiidae
• Family Bucculatricidae
• Family Gracillariidae
Superfamily Yponomeutoidea
Family Argyresthiidae
Family Plutellidae
Family Glyphipterigidae
Family Yponomeutidae
Family Ypsolophidae
Family Attevidae
Family Praydidae
Family Heliodinidae
Family Bedelliidae
Family Lyonetiidae

15. • Superfamily Simaethistoidea
• Family Simaethistidae
• Superfamily Gelechioidea
• Family Autostichidae
• Family Lecithoceridae
• Family Xyloryctidae
• Family Blastobasidae
• Family Oecophoridae
• Family Schistonoeidae
• Family Lypusidae
• Family Chimabachidae
• Family Peleopodidae
• Family Elachistidae
• Superfamily Gelechioidea
Family Syringopaidae
Family Coelopoetidae
Family Stathmopodidae
Family Epimarptidae
Family Batrachedridae
Family Coleophoridae
Family Momphidae
Family Pterolonchidae
Family Scythrididae
Family Cosmopterigidae
Family Gelechiidae

16. • Superfamily Alucitoidea
• Family Tineodidae
• Family Alucitidae
• Superfamily Pterophoroidea
• Family Pterophoridae
• Superfamily Carposinoidea
• Family Copromorphidae
• Family Carposinidae
• Superfamily Schreckensteinioidea
• Family Schreckensteiniidae
• Superfamily Epermenioidea
• Family Epermeniidae
• Superfamily Urodoidea
• Family Urodidae
• Superfamily Immoidea
• Family Immidae
• Superfamily Choreutoidea
• Family Choreutidae
• Superfamily Galacticoidea
• Family Galacticidae
• Superfamily Tortricoidea
• Family Tortricidae

17. • Superfamily Cossoidea
• Family Brachodidae
• Family Cossidae
• Family Dudgeoneidae
• Family Metarbelidae
• Family Ratardidae
• Family Castniidae
• Family Sesiidae
• Superfamily Zygaenoidea
• Family Epipyropidae
• Family Cyclotornidae
• Family Heterogynidae
• Family Lacturidae
• Family Phaudidae
• Family Limacodidae
• Family Dalceridae
• Family Megalopygidae
• Family Aididae
• Family Somabrachyidae
• Family Himantopteridae
• Family Zygaenidae

18. • Superfamily Whalleyanoidea
• Family Whalleyanidae
• Superfamily Thyridoidea
• Family Thyrididae
• Superfamily Hyblaeoidea
• Family Hyblaeidae
• Superfamily Calliduloidea
• Family Callidulidae
• Superfamily Hedyloidea
• Family Hedylidae
• Superfamily Hesperioidea
• Family Hesperiidae
• Superfamily Papilionoidea
• Family Papilionidae
• Family Pieridae
• Family Riodinidae
• Family Lycaenidae
• Family Nymphalidae
• Superfamily Pyraloidea
• Family Pyralidae
• Family Crambidae
• Superfamily Mimallonoidea
• Family Mimallonidae

19. • Superfamily Drepanoidea
• Family Cimeliidae
• Family Doidae
• Family Drepanidae
• Superfamily Lasiocampoidea
• Family Lasiocampidae
• Superfamily Bombycoidea
• Family Apatelodidae
• Family Eupterotidae
• Family Brahmaeidae
• Family Phiditiidae
• Family Anthelidae
• Family Carthaeidae
• Family Endromidae
• Family Bombycidae
• Family Saturniidae
• Family Sphingidae
• Superfamily Geometroidea
• Family Epicopeiidae
• Family Sematuridae
• Family Uraniidae
• Family Geometridae
• Superfamily Noctuoidea
• Family Oenosandridae
• Family Notodontidae
• Family Erebidae
• Family Euteliidae
• Family Nolidae
• Family Noctuidae

20. References
Kristensen, N.P., Scoble, M.J., Karsholt, O. (2007). Lepidoptera phylogeny and systematics: the state
of inventorying moth and butterfly diversity. Zootaxa, 1668: 699–747.
Erik J. van Nieukerken, Lauri Kaila, Ian J. Kitching, Niels P. Kristensen, David C. Lees, Joël Minet,
Charles Mitter, Marko Mutanen, Jerome C. Regier, Thomas J. Simonsen, Niklas
Wahlberg, Shen-Horn Yen, Reza Zahiri, David Adamski, Joaquin Baixeras, Daniel
Bartsch, Bengt Å. Bengtsson, John W. Brown, Sibyl Rae Bucheli, Donald R. Davis,
Jurate De Prins, Willy De Prins, Marc E. Epstein, Patricia Gentili-Poole, Cees Gielis,
Peter Hättenschwiler, Axel Hausmann, Jeremy D. Holloway, Axel Kallies, Ole
Karsholt, Akito Y. Kawahara, Sjaak (J.C.) Koster, Mikhail V. Kozlov, J. Donald
Lafontaine, Gerardo Lamas, Jean-François Landry, Sangmi Lee, Matthias Nuss, Kyu-
Tek Park, Carla Penz, Jadranka Rota, Alexander Schintlmeister, B. Christian Schmidt,
Jae-Cheon Sohn, M. Alma Solis, Gerhard M. Tarmann, Andrew D. Warren, Susan
Weller, Roman V. Yakovlev, Vadim V. Zolotuhin, Andreas Zwick. (2011). Order
Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of
higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness. Zootaxa, 3148: 212-
221.