Hepialidae

Hepialidae is a family of moths commonly called swift moths or ghost moths, one of the most basal lineages within Lepidoptera, comprising 82 genera and at least 700 recognized species worldwide. Members retain several primitive features, including very short antennae, the absence of a functional proboscis or wing-coupling frenulum, and homoneurous wings, in which the forewing and hindwing share a similar venation pattern with the radius branching into five veins, unlike most other moths and butterflies. Despite this primitive position, hepialids range from very small to quite large, with some species reaching wingspans up to 250 millimeters, and many show strong differences between the sexes, with males usually smaller but more conspicuously marked than females; at high elevations, females of some genera have reduced wings, a condition called brachyptery.