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Key to Families of Macromoths in California David Hembry, University of California at Berkeley |
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Macromoths vs. micromoths |
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Macromoths vs. Micromoths This key will identify most moths with a wingspread greater than about 2 cm (4/5 inch), and many moths that are smaller than that. Most moths larger than this will be Macrolepidoptera, but there are some micromoths (microlepidoptera) that despite their name, grow to be as large as macromoths. These moths include the pyraloid moths (Pyralidae and Cranbidae), the slug caterpillar moths (Limacodidae), the bagworm moths (Psychidae), and the ghost moths or swift moths (Hepialidae). With the exception of the pyraloid moths, most of these moths are relatively rare in California. I hope to update this key soon to include these larger micromoth families. North American pyraloids are usually small to medium-sized (wingspreads of less than 1 cm to almost 4 cm) and have long labial palps (they will look like they have two long mouthparts that stick forward if you look at them up close). |
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