Worldwide, this family contains more species than any other family of Lepidoptera. In keeping with that, Knudson and Bordelon (1999) list 400 species for the Park, more than twice the number of the next most diverse family, the Geometridae.
Most species have a body length around 1 inch, although some species are substantially larger. These moths have a thick body and so tend to hold their wings roof-like over their bodies when resting. (Because of this, it is easier to take closeup pictures from the side and focus only on one wing than to take pictures from above.) Most species have rather plain underwings, although at rest these seldom show. Some species are brightly colored (like the ones below), while many are rather drab (like the one above) and difficult to distinguish without some familiarity.
The "miller moths" are noctuid species that reach an unusually high abundance and become a nuisance and in some cases a hazard.
Stiria sp.
2003 at the Pine Springs Visitor Center
Acontia sp.
2003 at the Pine Springs Visitor Center
This is one of the "bird-dropping moths", so called because of its color pattern
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