Macroheterocera

The Macroheterocera are a well supported clade of moths that are closely related to butterflies and macro-moths.^[1][2]

Macroheterocera
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Infraorder:	Heteroneura
Clade:	Eulepidoptera
Clade:	Ditrysia
Clade:	Apoditrysia
Clade:	Obtectomera
Clade:	Macroheterocera Chapman, 1893

Taxonomy

The Macroheterocera includes the following superfamilies:^[1][2]

• Mimallonoidea – sack bearers (variously included in basal position^[2] or excluded^[1])
• Drepanoidea – drepanids
• Noctuoidea – owlet moths
• Geometroidea – inchworms
• Lasiocampoidea – lappet moths
• Bombycoidea – bombycoid moths

The macroheteroceran superfamilies were previously place in the Macrolepidoptera, but recent molecular studies have failed to recover the Macrolepidoptera as a monophyletic group.^[1][2] The latter grouping also included butterflies (Papilionoidea) and Old World butterfly-moths (Calliduloidea).