List of moths of Ireland

Irish moths represent about 1,400 different types of moths. The moths (mostly nocturnal) and butterflies (mostly diurnal) together make up the taxonomic order Lepidoptera.

Phylogenetic chart of the Lepidoptera

This is a list of moth species which have been recorded in Ireland.

Suborder Zeugloptera (mandibulate archaic moths)

Superfamily Micropterigoidea

Family Micropterigidae
Micropterix aruncella

Suborder Glossata (moths and butterflies with a coilable proboscis)

Infraorder Dacnonypha

Superfamily Eriocranioidea
Family Eriocraniidae
Eriocrania cicatricella
Eriocrania unimaculella larva

Infraorder Exoporia

Superfamily Hepialoidea (ghost moths, swift moths)
Family Hepialidae
Ghost swift, female and male adults.
  • Hepialus humuli (Linnaeus, 1758) (ghost swift)
  • Pharmacis fusconebulosa (De Geer, 1778) (map-winged swift)
  • Korscheltellus lupulina (Linnaeus, 1758) (common swift)
  • Phymatopus hecta (Linnaeus, 1758) (gold swift)

Infraorder Heteroneura (wing venation which is different in each pair of wings)

Division Monotrysia (females have a single genital opening)

Section Nepticulina
Superfamily Nepticuloidea
Family Nepticulidae (pigmy or midget moths)
The small birch leafminer
Leaf mining damage by Stigmella splendidissimella larva
Family Opostegidae (white eyecap moths)
Superfamily Tischerioidea (trumpet leaf miner moths)
Family Tischeriidae

Section Incurvariina
Superfamily Adeloidea (moths with piercing, extensible ovipositor)
Family Incurvariidae
Male feathered diamond-back
Family Prodoxidae
Family Adelidae (fairy longhorn moths)
Female green longhorn
Cauchas rufimitrella larva
Family Heliozelidae

Division Ditrysia (females have two genital openings)

Section Tineina
Superfamily Tineoidea (clothes moths, bagworms, etc.)
Family Psychidae (bagworm moths)
Family Tineidae (fungus moths)
Closeup on the head of a common clothes moth
Superfamily Gracillarioidea
Family Bucculatricidae (ribbed cocoon makers)
Family Gracillariidae (leaf miner moths)
Pupa of the horse-chestnut leaf miner
Superfamily Schreckensteinioidea
Family Schreckensteiniidae (bristle-legged moths)
A blackberry skeletonizer (Schreckensteinia festaliella). Note the distinctive bristly legs.
Superfamily Gelechioidea (case-bearers, twirler moths, curved-horn moths)
Family Agonoxenidae (palm moths)
Chrysoclista linneella and its favourite food, the lime tree.
Family Batrachedridae
Family Blastobasidae
Family Coleophoridae (case-bearers)
Family Cosmopterigidae (cosmet moths)
Family Elachistidae (grass-miner moths)
Agonopterix alstroemeriana, the hemlock moth
Family Gelechiidae (twirler moths)
Family Depressariidae (flat-bodied moths)
Depressaria daucella larva
Family Momphidae (mompha moths)
Mompha locupletella
Family Oecophoridae (concealer moths)
Diurnea lipsiella
Family Peleopodidae
  • Carcina quercana (Fabricius, 1775) (oak lantern, long-horned flat-body, oak-skeletonizer moth)
Family Scythrididae (flower moths)
Superfamily Copromorphoidea (fruitworm moths)
Family Alucitidae (many-plumed moths)
Twenty-plume moth
Family Epermeniidae (fringe-tufted moths)
Superfamily Yponomeutoidea
Family Bedelliidae
Family Glyphipterigidae (sedge moths)
Glyphipterix schoenicolella
Family Lyonetiidae
Family Plutellidae (diamondback moths)
Family Praydidae
Family Yponomeutidae (ermine moths)
Bronze alder moth
Family Ypsolophidae
Variable ypsolopha moth
Superfamily Pyraloidea (pyraloid moths)
Family Crambidae (grass moths)
Wingless female watermilfoil moth
Small magpie moth larva
Brown china mark
Scarce crimson and gold
Udea olivalis pupa
Family Pyralidae (snout moths, grass moths)
Lesser wax moth
Superfamily Pterophoroidea
Family Pterophoridae (plume moths)
Adaina microdactyla
Morning-glory plume moth caterpillar
Superfamily Choreutoidea
Family Choreutidae (metalmark moths)
Superfamily Sesioidea
Family Sesiidae (clearwing moths)
Lunar hornet moth
Red-tipped clearwing
Superfamily Zygaenoidea (burnet moths, forester moths, smoky moths)
Family Zygaenidae

Section Cossina
Superfamily Cossoidea (carpenter moths and relatives)
Family Cossidae (cossid millers, carpenter millers)
Superfamily Tortricoidea
Family Tortricidae (tortrix moths, leafroller moths)
rufous-margined button moth
Acleris ferrugana larva
Ancylis achatana larva
Brown oak tortrix eggs
Life cycle of the Oriental fruit moth, recently recorded in Ireland
Lozotaenia forsterana
Arched marble
Tortricodes alternella larva
Zeiraphera isertana


Superfamily Geometroidea
Family Geometridae (geometer moths, inchworms)
clouded magpie
dotted carpet
March moth caterpillar on midland hawthorn plant
Latticed heath
red-green carpet
lime-speck pug
valerian pug
Irish annulet
brimstone moth
Superfamily Drepanoidea (hook tip moths)
Family Drepanidae
Peach blossom cocoon
  • Achlya flavicornis (Linnaeus, 1758) (yellow horned moth)
  • Cilix glaucata (Scopoli, 1763) (Chinese character moth)
  • Drepana falcataria (Linnaeus, 1758) (pebble hook-tip moth)
  • Falcaria lacertinaria (Linnaeus, 1758) (scalloped hook-tip moth)
  • Habrosyne pyritoides (Hufnagel, 1766) (buff arches)
  • Ochropacha duplaris (Linnaeus, 1761)
  • Tethea or (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) (poplar lutestring)
  • Tetheella fluctuosa (Hübner, 1803) (satin lutestring)
  • Thyatira batis (Linnaeus, 1758) (peach blossom moth)
  • Watsonalla binaria (Hufnagel, 1767) (oak hook-tip moth)
Superfamily Bombycoidea
Family Lasiocampidae (eggars, snout moths, lappet moths)
Caterpillar of the small eggar
Family Saturniidae
Male Saturnia pavonia
Family Sphingidae (hawk-moths)
The notorious male African death's head hawkmoth, which summers in Ireland.
small elephant hawk-moth
Superfamily Noctuoidea (owlet moths)
Family Erebidae
Catocala fraxini
hoary footman
gypsy moth
Vapourer moth eggs
Family Noctuidae (owlet moths, cutworms, armyworms)
The miller
green-brindled crescent
Svensson's copper underwing caterpillar
Beautiful yellow underwing
Burren green, named after The Burren, County Clare
Burnished brass
Merveille du jour caterpillar
Marbled green caterpillar
Golden plusia
Poplar grey
Family Nolidae (tuft moths)
Family Notodontidae (prominents, kitten moths)
Puss moth caterpillar
White prominent


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See also

References
  1. Oriental Fruit Moth (Grapholita molesta (Busck)) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) a second Irish record. Irish Naturalists' Journal Volume 35, Part 1 2016
  • Bond, K.G.M., Nash, R. and O'Connor, J.P., 2006: An annotated checklist of the Irish butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) The Irish Biogeographical Society and the National Museum of Ireland ISBN 0-9511514-9-5
  • K. G. M. Bond and J. P. O'Connor, 2012 Additions, deletions and corrections to An annotated checklist of the Irish butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) with a concise checklist of Irish species and Elachista biatomella (Stainton, 1848) new to Ireland Bulletin of the Irish Biogeographical Society 2012: pp 60–179. concise and updated checklist of the Irish Lepidoptera is provided, based on Bond, Nash and O'Connor (2006). The Fauna Europaea species number is used, followed by the number used in Bradley (2000) in square brackets.
  • Heath, John, Ed. 1976– The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland
  • Phil Sterling, Mark Parsons and Richard Lewington, 2012 Field Guide to the Micro-Moths of Great Britain and Ireland British Wildlife Publications ISBN 0-9564902-1-2
  • Paul Waring, Martin Townsend, Mark Tunmore and Richard Lewington, 2009 Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland ISBN 978-0-9531399-8-9

Further reading
  • Jon Clifton and Jim Wheeler (2011). Bird-dropping Tortrix Moths of the British Isles. A Field Guide to the Bird-dropping Mimics Dorchester: Clifton & Wheeler ISBN 978-0-9568352-0-8
  • Chris Manley (2008) British moths and butterflies. A photographic guide. Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd / London: A&C Black, ISBN 978-0-7136-8636-4
  • Jim Porter (2010) Caterpillars of the British Isles Apollo Books ISBN 9788788757958
  • Jon Clifton and Jim Wheeler (2012). Conifer Moths of the British Isles: A Field Guide to Coniferous-feeding Lepidoptera Clifton and Wheeler ISBN 978-0-9568352-1-5
  • Sean Clancy, Morten Top-Jensen and Michael Fibiger (2012) Moths of Great Britain and Ireland: A field guide to all the macro-moths Oestermarie, Denmark ISBN 9788799351244
  • Bernard Skinner (2009).The Colour identification guide to the moths of the British Isles (3rd edition) Apollo Books. ISBN 978-8788757903
  • A.M. Emmet (1988). A field guide to the smaller British Lepidoptera (2nd edition) British Entomological and Natural History Society ISBN 978-0-9502891-6-8 Not identification – includes summaries of life histories, behaviour and info on finding species
  • M.C. Harvey, J. Clifton & B. Goodey (2010).British and Irish moths: an illustrated guide to selected difficult species (covering the use of genitalia characteristics and other features), Butterfly Conservation, Wareham, Dorset. ISBN 978-0-9562216-6-7
  • A.M. Riley & G. Prior (2003).British and Irish Pug Moths. A guide to their identification and biology Harley Books.ISBN 0-946589-51-8
  • B. Goater (1986).British Pyralid moths, A comprehensive photographic guide to pyralid moths of the British Isles, giving distribution, flight-times and habitats and foodplants for each species. Harley Books ISBN 0-946589-08-9
  • J.D. Bradley, W.G. Tremewan & A. Smith (1979).British Tortricoid moths 2 volumes Ray Society. London.ISBN 978-1-904690-12-2
  • David Newland, Robert Still, & Andy Swash, 2013 Britain’s Day-flying Moths: A Field Guide to the Day-flying Moths of Britain and Ireland Wild Guides ISBN 978-0-691-15832-7
  • Peder Skou, 1997 The Geometroid Moths of North Europe: Lepidoptera – Drepanidae and Geometridae (Entomonograph) Brill Archive ISBN 978-90-04-07859-8
  • Michael Fibiger et al. Noctuidae Europaeae Soro, Denmark: Entomological Press

Literature

See also

Other languages. Accounts of species are often more complete on

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