An arbitrary yet long-standing division within the order Lepidoptera—a vast group that also includes butterflies. While everyone can recognize a moth by its general form and nocturnal habits, few can confidently categorize one. The other, more familiar division of Lepidoptera comprises the butterflies, though in scientific terms, the boundary between moths and butterflies is more cultural than taxonomic.

Moths encompass the majority of Lepidoptera species, numbering well over 160,000 worldwide. They display extraordinary diversity in form, size, and behavior, ranging from tiny leaf-miners to large, showy hawk moths and silk moths. Although many species are nocturnal, some are diurnal or crepuscular, blurring the stereotypical distinction from butterflies.

Traditionally, moths are grouped into two broad categories based on their size and ease of identification:

• Macro Moths (Macrolepidoptera):
  Generally larger species with more robust bodies and wingspans that make them easier to observe and identify. This group includes families such as Noctuidae (owlet moths), Geometridae (geometer moths), Sphingidae (hawk moths), and Saturniidae (silk moths). Macromoths are often used in ecological monitoring and amateur recording because of their visibility and well-documented life histories.

• Micro Moths (Microlepidoptera):
  A loose assemblage of smaller, often more primitive or highly specialized moths. They include families such as Tortricidae (leaf-rollers), Tineidae (clothes moths), and Gracillariidae (leaf-miners). These species tend to be more cryptic in both appearance and behavior, making identification challenging even for specialists. Despite their small size, micromoths play crucial ecological roles as pollinators, decomposers, and food sources for other wildlife.

Both groups belong to the same order but differ in accessibility and taxonomic complexity. The distinction between “macro” and “micro” moths is practical rather than strictly scientific—reflecting human convenience in study and observation rather than evolutionary relationships. In reality, moths form a vast, intricate continuum of diversity, representing the greater part of Lepidoptera’s evolutionary tapestry.