page_title: Differences between butterflies and moths
hierarchical_section_title: Differences between butterflies and moths
context_page_description: The Lepidoptera are the butterflies and moths. However, though the butterflies are a natural monophyletic group, moths are not. Butterflies are often put in the suborder Rhopalocera, which includes Papilionoidea, the Hesperiidae, and the Hedylidae.
  In Linnaean taxonomy, moths are usually put in the suborder Heterocera. This tends to cover up the fact that they are not a true natural monophyletic group. However, moths do look and behave rather different from butterflies, which explains why people came to call them by a different name.
  Other taxonomic schemes have been proposed, but none of them is perfect. Both taxonomists and amateurs make use of the obvious differences between butterflies and moths.
context_section_description: The Lepidoptera are the butterflies and moths. However, though the butterflies are a natural monophyletic group, moths are not. Butterflies are often put in the suborder  Rhopalocera, which includes Papilionoidea (true butterflies), the Hesperiidae (skippers), and the Hedylidae (butterfly moths). 
  In Linnaean taxonomy, moths are usually put in the suborder Heterocera. This tends to cover up the fact that they are not a true natural monophyletic group. However, moths do look and behave rather different from butterflies, which explains why people came to call them by a different name.
  Other taxonomic schemes have been proposed, but none of them is perfect. Both taxonomists and amateurs make use of the obvious differences between butterflies and moths.
caption: Comparison of moth and butterfly dorsal anatomy.