Category: Families

Lyonetiidae

2 species in 2 genera are known from Block Island.

Oecophoridae

3 species in 3 genera are known from Block Island. This family is poorly represented in the Nearctic but includes some of the region’s more vividly colored micromoths.

Noctuidae

225 species in 121 genera are known from Block Island. This is by far the most speciose lepidopteran family in the Nearctic region, with over 2,500 described species present in the continental US and Canada, and is the most diverse family on Block Island as well. Most species are medium to large, and most are phytophagous external or root feeders.

Nolidae

7 species in 5 genera are known from Block Island. This family is very poorly represented in the Nearctic region by mostly small, drab gray species. On Block Island, all species are quite small relative to most local macromoths.

Euteliidae

4 species in 3 genera are known from Block Island. Many Nearctic species in this small family of medium sized moths typically hold their abdomens curled upward while resting, and two of the local species additionally fold their wings over themselves, giving them odd profiles.

Erebidae

117 species in 58 genera are known from Block Island. This is the most speciose lepidopteran family worldwide, though it is surpassed by Noctuidae, Geometridae, and Tortricidae in the Nearctic region.

Zahiri R., J.D. Holloway, I.J. Kitching, J.D. Lafontaine, M. Mutanen, and N. Wahlberg. 2011. Molecular phylogenetics of Erebidae (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea). Syst. Entomol. 37: 102–124.

Notodontidae

23 species in 14 genera are known from Block Island. Moths in this family are generally medium to large, and most are dull gray or brown in color.

Sphingidae

21 species in 12 genera are known from Block Island. This family of mostly large to very large moths is composed mainly of powerful fliers, many of which hover over flowers while feeding on nectar with a long proboscis.

Saturniidae

6 species in 6 genera are known from Block Island. This family includes many of the largest moth species worldwide. It also includes by far the largest moths on Block Island, one of which is the largest moth in the Nearctic region. Adults in this family are short-lived and do not feed. On Block Island, all species are univoltine.

Lasiocampidae

3 species in 2 genera are known from Block Island. Most Nearctic representatives of this family are either brown or white and gray. The species found on Block Island all generally feed on trees and shrubs, and all three probably feed primarily on black cherry (Prunus serotina) on the island.