Butterflies, skippers and moths all belong in the insect order Lepidoptera. However, there are some overall rules that can be used to tell a moth from a butterfly or skipper.

Moths, butterflies and skippers are all insects in the order Lepidoptera. Worldwide, there are five families of butterflies and one family of skippers, which share some specialised similarities in body form. All of these families are present in Australia. Moths form a larger group of 125 families worldwide. In Australia, 82 families of moths are represented, with over 95% of species diversity in the order Lepidoptera represented by moths.

However, there are some overall rules that can be used to tell a moth from a butterfly or skipper. Note that there are always exceptions to each 'rule'. Many of the features discussed below are illustrated in the gallery under "related items" on the top right of this page.