|Introduction
|Identification Key
|
Order Lepidoptera
(Butterflies and Moths)
Of some 10,000 species of Lepidoptera, only about 50 species of moths are
known to be aquatic (McCafferty 1981). These species are herbivorous (feed
on living plant tissues)and thus are usually found associated with aquatic
macrophytes or attached algae. All Lepidoptera undergo complete
metamorphosis; the larvae are commonly known as caterpillars.