List of Lepidoptera of the Cook Islands facts for kids

Location of the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands are a beautiful group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are home to many amazing creatures, including a special group of insects called Lepidoptera. This big group includes both the colorful butterflies and the often-night-flying moths.

Scientists believe there are about 170 different kinds of butterflies and moths living in the Cook Islands. These insects play important roles in nature, like helping plants grow by moving pollen from flower to flower.

Butterflies of the Cook Islands

Butterflies are known for their bright colors and for flying during the day. They add a lot of beauty to the Cook Islands' natural world.

Lycaenidae: Blue Butterflies

This family of butterflies is often called "blues" or "gossamer-winged butterflies." Many of them have a lovely blue color on their wings.

• Famegana alsulus – black-spotted grass-blue
• Jamides bochus – dark cerulean
• Lampides boeticus – long-tailed blue
• Zizina labradus – common grass-blue
• Zizina otis – blue butterfly

Nymphalidae: Brush-footed Butterflies

Nymphalidae is a very large family of butterflies, often called "brush-footed" because their front legs are smaller and look like brushes.

• Danaus plexippus – monarch butterfly
• Euploea lewinii perryi – crow butterfly
• Vagrans egista bowdenia – vagrant butterfly
• Hypolimnas bolina – blue-moon butterfly
• Junonia villida – Australian meadow-argus
• Melanitis leda solandra – evening brown

Moths of the Cook Islands

Moths are closely related to butterflies, but they usually fly at night and often have thicker bodies and feathery antennae. There are many more types of moths than butterflies in the Cook Islands.

Agonoxenidae

• Agonoxena argaula – coconut flat-moth

Arctiidae: Tiger Moths and Footmen

This family includes moths that are often brightly colored, sometimes with patterns that warn predators they are not tasty.

• Argina astrea – crotalaria pod-borer
• Utetheisa pulchelloides – crimson-speckled footman

Choreutidae

• Anthophila chalcotoxa

Cosmopterigidae

• Cosmopterix melanarches
• Cosmopterix attenuatella
• Iressa neoleuca
• Labdia dicyanitis
• Pisistrata trypheropa
• Pyroderces aellotricha
• Pyroderces incertulella
• Trissodoris honorariella – pandanus hole-cutter moth

Crambidae

This is a very large family of moths, and many of them are known as "grass moths" or "snout moths."

• Cnaphalocrocis medinalis – rice leafroller
• Cnaphalocrocis poeyalis – lesser rice-leafroller
• Cnaphalocrocis suspicalis
• Eurrhypodes tricoloralis
• Glyphodes multilinealis – fig tiger-moth
• Herpetogramma licarsisalis – tropical grass-moth
• Maruca vitrata – bean-pod borer
• Omiodes diemenalis – bean leafroller
• Parotis suralis
• Piletocera fluctualis
• Sameodes cancellalis
• Stemorrhages oceanitis – emerald crambus
• Tatobotys biannulalis

Gelechiidae

• Pectinophora gossypiella – bollworm
• Phthorimaea operculella – potato tuberworm
• Stoeberhinus testaceus – gelechiid moth

Geometridae: Geometer Moths

These moths are often called "loopers" or "inchworms" in their caterpillar stage because of how they move.

• Anisodes samoana
• Cleora stenoglypta – variable moth
• Gymnoscelis concinna
• Gymnoscelis imparatalis – flower-looper moth
• Thalassodes pilaria – big emerald
• Ziridava dysorga

Gracillariidae

• Caloptilia hilaropis – glochidion miner
• Ketapangia regulifera
• Macarostola pontificalis

Hyblaeidae

• Hyblaea puera – teak defoliator

Noctuidae: Owlet Moths

This is one of the largest families of moths. Many are active at night and are attracted to lights.

• Achaea janata – castor-oil moth
• Achaea serva
• Aedia leucomelas – eastern alchymist
• Agrotis ipsilon aneituma – greasy cutworm
• Amyna axis
• Amyna natalis
• Anomis flava – cotton semi-looper
• Anomis involuta – hibiscus cutworm
• Anomis nigritarsis
• Anticarsia irrorata – owl moth
• Athetis nonagrica
• Avatha discolor
• Bombotelia jocosatrix – mango moth
• Callopistria maillardi
• Chasmina candida
• Chasmina tibialis – satin moth
• Chrysodeixis acuta – tomato semi-looper
• Chrysodeixis eriosoma – southern silver-Y moth
• Chrysodeixis illuminata
• Condica illecta
• Dysgonia arctotaenia
• Dysgonia prisca – fruit-piercing moth
• Earias huegeliana – rough bollworm
• Earias perhuegeli – rough bollworm
• Eublemma cochylioides
• Eublemma crassiuscula
• Eudocima fullonia – fruit-piercing moth
• Heliothis assulta – tipworm
• Hydrillodes melanozona – litter moth
• Hypena gonospilalis
• Hypena laceratalis – lantana hypena
• Hypena longfieldae
• Hypena masurialis
• Hypocala deflorata
• Lacera noctilio
• Leucania loreyi – nightfeeding sugarcane armyworm
• Leucania stenographa – sugarcane armyworm
• Lucera oculalis
• Maliattha ritsemae
• Mocis frugalis – sugarcane looper
• Mocis trifasciata
• Nola insularum
• Ophiusa coronata
• Polydesma boarmioides
• Rhesalides curvata
• Simplicia caeneusalis
• Spodoptera litura – tropical armyworm
• Spodoptera mauritia – tropical-grass armyworm
• Tiracola plagiata – cacao armyworm

Plutellidae

• Plutella xylostella – diamondback moth

Pterophoridae: Plume Moths

These moths have unique wings that are divided into feather-like plumes.

• Exelastis pumilio
• Sphenarches anisodactylus – tropical featherwing

Pyralidae: Snout Moths and Grass Moths

This is another large family of moths with many different types.

• Crocidolomia pavonana – cabbage cluster-caterpillar
• Cryptoblabes plagioleuca – mango-flower moth
• Diaphania indica – cucumber moth
• Endotricha mesenterialis
• Etiella grisea – tropical legume-pod-borer
• Eurhodope ardescens – false blossum-moth
• Hellula undalis – cabbage-centre grub
• Hydriris ornatalis – kumara skeletoniser
• Hymenia recurvalis – beetworm moth
• Tirathaba rufivena – coconut spiked-moth

Sphingidae: Hawk-moths

Hawk-moths are known for their fast, strong flight and often hover like hummingbirds while feeding on nectar.

• Agrius convolvuli – sweet-potato hawkmoth
• Gnathothlibus erotus – white-brow hawkmoth
• Hippotion celerio – taro hawkmoth
• Hippotion velox
• Macroglossum hirundo – hummingbird hawkmoth

Stathmopodidae

• Calicotis species – fern-sori moth

Thyrididae

• Rhodoneura sericatalis – Terminalia cone-maker

Tineidae: Fungus Moths and Clothes Moths

This family includes moths that often feed on fungi, decaying matter, or even fabrics.

• Erechthias flavistriata – sugarcane budmoth
• Erechthias pelotricha
• Erechthias psammaula – brown-stripe moth
• Erechthias simulans
• Erechthias sphenacma
• Opogona aurisquamosa
• Opogona regressa
• Opogona trissostacta
• Trachycentra calamias
• Trachycentra chlorogramma

Tortricidae: Leafroller Moths

Many moths in this family are known for rolling up leaves as caterpillars.

• Bactra litigatrix
• Cryptophlebia pallifimbriata – fruit borer
• Cryptophlebia rhynchias
• Dudua aprobola – leaf-curling moth
• Heleanna physaloides
• Strepsicrates holotephras
• Tritopterna galena

Yponomeutidae

• Prays parilis – citrus-blossom moth