The legs are clad in overlapping scales, legs without scales can be regocnized by the scale sockets. Some species have legs with long spurs others several spikes
leg fragment
leg with claw
leg with claw and scales
leg without scales
spur
Wing
Wings are clad in tiny overlapping scales. Scales can have several shapes. The base of the wing is the toughest part
wing base
wing
Antenna
Lepidopteran antennae are highly variable in shape; often clubbed, filiform or pectinate (with tiny extensions along the sides, there are 3 groups: Bipectinate, Pectinate and Quadripectinate). The sclerite at the base of the antennae can be used to couunt the number of individual lepidopteran in a pellet.
pectinate antennae
filiform antennae
pectinate antennae
filiform antennae
sclerite
eye, proboscis, ocelli
The proboscis, is a hollow slightly curved tube. The tip is feathered with long hairs. The large multi facetted eyes have a black eye disk. Some species also have one or several simple eyes, or ocelli.
base of proboscis
tip of proboscis
proboscis
left Lepidopteran eye, right trichopteran eye
several eye disks
ocelli
Other, frenulum, male genitals, egg
Some moth species have a frenulum, a wing coupling device.
Moth eggs are soft and flexible, shape size and structure varies between species.The male has a median tubular organ (called the aedeagus) which is extended through an eversible sheath (or 'vesica'). Fragments of the spike-like structure on the vesica (the cornuti) can be found in bat pellets.
