Lepidoptera
Morpho cypris, blue morpho
Eurema hecabe © J.M.Garg
Lepidoptera is a large group containing butterflies and moths. Currently there are more than 157,000 described species with at least as many as this still undescribed.
Life cycle
Lepidoptera have a holometabolous life cycle, meaning they have four separate stages:
- egg
- larva
- pupa
- adult
A few species lack males, meaning the females are parthenogenetic, which allows them to successfully reproduce without having mated (virgin birth).
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Important Lepidoptera groups
Learn more about the principal groups of Lepidoptera.
Lepidoptera research
Lepidoptera contain butterflies and moths. Learn about our research in their fascinating evolution.
About the name
The name Lepidoptera means 'scale wings'. This refers to the characteristic feature that distinguishes them from most other insects: the presence of coloured scales on the wings.
Toolbox
Lepidoptera collections
The Natural History Museum’s collections of Lepidoptera contain approximately 8,712,000 specimens in 80,000 drawers.