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{{Taxobox
| name = Moths
| image = Opodiphthera eucalypti male.jpg
| image_width = 230px
| image_caption = Emperor Gum Moth, ''[[Opodiphthera eucalypti]]''
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Arthropod]]a
| classis = [[Insect]]a
| ordo = [[Lepidoptera]]
}}
[[File:Zygaena – Hiiumaa.jpg|thumb|right|230px|A Burnet Moth (''Zygaena'' sp.), a daytime flyer. This one is getting nectar from a [[thistle]] (and [[pollination|pollinating]] it) in [[Estonia]].]]
[[File:Joined moths.JPG|thumb|right|230px|Mating pair of ''[[Laothoe populi]]'', or Poplar Hawk-moths. showing two different [[Polymorphism|colour variants]]]]
[[File:Lymantria dispar MHNT Chenille.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Caterpillars of the [[spongy moth]] (''Lymantria dispar dispar'') are colourful [[pests]] which feed on the leaves of many trees.]]

'''Moths''' are [[insect]]s of the [[Order (biology)|order]] [[Lepidoptera]]. They are closely related to [[butterflies]], which evolved from them. They also have wings, just like butterflies. Most [[species]] of moths are active only at night. They can be told apart from butterflies in several ways. Moth antenna look like little feathers,  and their wings are held flat on their backs when they are not flying.

Most Lepidoptera are moths. There are thought to be about 160,000 species of moths (nearly ten times the number of species of butterflies).<ref>{{cite web | title=Moths  | work=Smithsonian Institution | url=http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/moths.htm  | accessdate=2012-01-12 }}</ref> Thousands of species are still to be described. Most moths are tiny: they are called micromoths or microlepidoptera. The large moths are much better known, but fewer. Most species of moths are [[nocturnal]], but not all. There are [[crepuscular]] and [[Diurnal animal|diurnal]] species.

== Moths as pests ==
Moths, usually their [[caterpillar]]s, are a major farm pest in many parts of the world. Caterpillars eat the plants that farmers grow and sometimes kill them. The caterpillar of the spongy moth (''Lymantria dispar'') causes great harm to [[forest]]s in the northeast [[United States]]. In warm climates, the diamondback moth (''Plutella xylostella'') is perhaps the most serious pest of [[cabbage]] crops.

Several moths in the family [[Tineidae]] have larvae which eat  [[clothes]] and [[blanket]]s made from natural fibres, such as [[wool]] or [[silk]].<ref name="Scott">Scott, Thomas (1995). [https://books.google.com/books?id=LorrYj5pkKYC&pg=PA681 ''Concise Encyclopedia Biology'']. Walter de Gruyter. {{ISBN|3-11-010661-2}}.</ref> They are less likely to eat materials containing some artificial fibres. They may be repelled by the scent of wood from [[juniper]] and [[cedar]], by [[lavender]], or by other natural oils.

Chemicals are the most effective way to keep moths away, but there are concerns about the chemicals being dangerous to people.

== Silk production ==
Some moths are farmed. The most important of these is the [[silkworm]]. It is farmed for the [[silk]] with which it builds its [[cocoon]]. The silk industry produces over 130 million [[kilograms]] of raw silk, worth about 250 million U.S. dollars, each year. Not all silk is produced by ''[[Bombyx mori]]''. There are several species of [[Saturniidae]] that also are farmed for their silk, such as the Ailanthus moth (''Samia cynthia'' group of species), the Chinese oak silkmoth (''Antheraea pernyi''), the Assam silkmoth (''Antheraea assamensis''), and the Japanese silk moth (''Antheraea yamamai'').

==Attraction to light==
Moths will fly around bright objects, and appear to be attracted to light. Most [[scientist]]s think that this is because moths use the light of the [[moon]] to help them fly in a straight line. The light from lamps confuses the moths.

Night-blooming flowers usually depend on moths (or [[bat]]s) to [[pollinate]] them, and artificial lighting can draw moths away from the flowers, hurting the plant's ability to reproduce.

==Pollination==
[[File:Yucca thompsoniana close.jpg|thumb|right|170px|alt=White yucca flowers|These [[yucca]] flowers are good for moth pollination because they hang upside down.]]

Moths usually pollinate night-blooming [[flower]]s because they are ''nocturnal'' (they rest during the day and come out at night). A moth uses its [[proboscis]] to collect [[nectar]] just like a [[butterfly]] does. However, moths do not always land on the [[flower]] to get the [[nectar]]: they often [[wikt:hover|hover]] near the flower and flap their [[wing]]s hard while they sip the nectar. Because of this, moth-pollinated [[flower]]s do not need a landing pad. In fact, some moth-pollinated flowers point downward, like the [[yucca]] flowers.

== Predators and parasites ==
[[Image:Tobacco Hornworm Parasitized by Braconid Wasp.jpg|thumb|Tobacco Hornworm parasitized by [[Braconidae|braconid wasp]]s.]]

Nocturnal [[insectivore]]s often feed on moths. Many [[bat]]s, and some species of [[owl]]s and some other [[birds]] eat moths. Moths are also a minor part of the diet of some [[lizard]]s, [[cats]], [[dogs]], [[rodents]], and some [[bears]]. Moth larvae are eaten by many birds, and are also vulnerable to [[parasitism]] by [[ichneumon]] [[wasp]]s.

Many adult moths and larvae are [[Defence against predation|protected]] by [[wikt:noxious|noxious]] substances eaten by the caterpillars. They advertise their foul taste in various ways. [[Warning colouration]] is visible by day, and some adult moths emit clicks which bats learn are warning signals.

Baculoviruses are double-stranded [[DNA]] viruses which parasitize [[insect]]s. They are often used as [[biological control]] agents. They are members of the [[Baculoviridae]], a family that is restricted to insects.

There is evidence that ultrasound in the range emitted by [[bat]]s causes flying moths to make evasive manoeuvers because bats eat moths. Ultrasonic frequencies trigger a reflex action in the [[noctuid]] moth that cause it to drop a few inches in its flight to evade attack.<ref>{{cite journal| title = Moth hearing in response to bat echolocation calls manipulated independently in time and frequency| doi = 10.1098/rspb.2000.1188| year = 2000| journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences| volume = 267| pmid = 11467425| issue = 1453| pmc = 1690724| pages = 1627–32| last1 = Jones
| first1 = Gareth
| last2 = Waters
| first2 = Dean A.
}}</ref> [[Arctiidae|Tiger moth]]s also emit clicks which foil bats' echolocation.<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090717-moths-jam-bat-sonar.html NationalGeographic.com]</ref><ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106733884 NPR.org], Some moths escape bats by jamming sonar (video)</ref>

==Notable moth species==
Large and dramatic Moth species include:
*[[Death's-head Hawkmoth]] ''Acherontia sp.''
*[[Actias luna|Luna Moth]] ''Actias luna''
*[[Attacus atlas|Atlas moth]] ''Attacus atlas'' The largest moth in the world
*[[Opodiphthera eucalypti|Emperor Gum Moth]] ''Opodiphthera eucalypti''
*[[Antheraea polyphemus|Polyphemus Moth]] ''Antheraea polyphemus''

Moths that are of economic significance include:
*[[Spongy moth]] ''Lymantria dispar''
*[[Helicoverpa zea|Cotton bollworm or corn earworm]] ''Helicoverpa zea'', a major agricultural pest
*[[Codling moth]] ''Cydia pomonella'', a pest mostly of [[apple]], [[pear]] and [[walnut]] trees
*[[Light brown apple moth]] ''Epiphyas postvittana''
*The [[silkworm]] ''Bombyx mori'' is the larva of a moth.

Other notable moths:
*The [[Peppered moth]], ''Biston betularia'', is the subject of research into [[Peppered moth evolution]].

==Related pages==
*[[Differences between butterflies and moths]]

== References ==
{{wikispecies|Lepidoptera}}
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Moths| ]]