Hepialidae

Stephens, 1829

The Hepialidae are a family of insects of the order of the Lepidoptera. The Hepialidae constitute by far the most diversified group of the infraorder Exoporia .
The Hepialidae family is considered very primitive, with a number of structural differences compared to other moths including very short antennae and the lack of a proboscis or Spiritromba. * There are 60 genera and at least 587 currently recognized species of these primitive moths recorded around the world.

Moths have similar fore and hind wings and are sometimes, although archaic moths, included as "honorary" members of Macrolepidoptera. Strictly speaking, they are phylogenetically too simple and belong to the Microlepidoptera, although the Hepialidae range from very small moths to moths with a record wingspan of 250 mm in the genus Zelotypia.


* Kristensen, 1999: 61–62