The Noctuidae is the largest known family of Lepidoptera, with some 35,000 species described and many more, particularly from the Neotropical region to be discovered and described. At the moment, there are around 50 subfamilies recognised, of which 740 species in 34 subfamilies have been found in Hong Kong.
This page is an index to the photo galleries of noctuid moth subfamilies on this website.
Each link leads to a web page listing the species of moth found in Hong Kong from that noctuid subamily. Each photo therein links to a species information page containing details about that species.
Only taxa that occur in Hong Kong are included. The list order is based upon Lafontaine & Fibiger (2006) and ongoing postgraduate studies by Reza Zahiri at the Univeristy of Turku, Finland for the LAQ (Lymantriinae, Arctiinae, Quadrifine clade), though not yet updated with the findings of the latter's first project, which strongly suggests there are six noctuoid families: Oenosandridae, Notodontidae, Erebidae (including Catocalinae, Calpinae, Aventiinae, Lymantriinae and Arctiinae), Nolidae , Euteliidae and Noctuidae (including Acontiinae and Eustrotiinae). Reza's second project is investigating the Erebidae more closely.
DISCLAIMER !
It should be noted that the systematics of the Noctuoidea, and particulary the Noctuidae, is undergoing intensive scrutiny at the moment. The current status of some of the taxa used here may not be valid at the current time, but gives an indication of the direction the academic studies are pointing in. This website has no taxonomic standing under ICZN rules.
Quadrifid Noctuidae (L.A.Q. clade)
Rivulinae | Boletobiinae | Hypenodinae | Araeopteroninae | Eublemminae
Pangraptinae | Herminiinae | Hypeninae | Phytometrinae | Aventiinae
Erebinae | Calpinae | Catocalinae | Stictopterinae | Euteliinae
Nolinae | Aganainae | 
Arctiinae | Lymantriinae
Trifine Noctuidae
Plusiinae | Eustrotiinae | Bagisarinae | Acontiinae | Pantheinae
Acronictinae | Lophonyctinae | Agaristinae | Cuculliinae | Heliothinae
Condicinae | Eriopinae | Xyleninae | Hadeninae | Noctuinae
©
R. C. Kendrick, 2009
last updated 6th November 2009