microlepidoptera

Microlepidoptera is an informal, non-monophyletic grouping of the smaller moths within the order Lepidoptera. The term does not denote a natural evolutionary clade, but rather a size-based category used by collectors and taxonomists. Members are typically small, with wingspans often under 20 millimeters, and characteristically slender wings and narrow bodies, though there is wide variation.

The group encompasses many superfamilies and families, including Gracillarioidea (leaf-miners), Yponomeutoidea (ermine moths and relatives), Coleophoridae (case-bearers), Tineidae (clothes moths), and many others; the boundaries with macrolepidoptera are fuzzy.

Larvae have diverse lifestyles: leaf mining, stem boring, seed feeding, casebearing in shelters, detritivory, feeding inside fruits or fabrics. Adults are often short-lived; many species have multiple generations per year in warm climates. Some are significant agricultural or stored-product pests, notably clothes moths and leaf-mining species on fruit trees, ornamentals, or crops.

Because microlepidoptera are diverse and many species are small, identification relies on detailed examination of genitalia; increasingly, DNA barcoding aids discovery and cataloging. They are under-studied relative to macro-lepidoptera, and many species remain undescribed or poorly known.

They are globally distributed in a wide range of habitats, from deserts to tropical forests; many regions harbor high species richness, but survey effort is uneven, leaving a large portion of diversity undocumented.