Euteliinae The Noctuidae are the largest family of moths worldwide, with over 21,000 species described. They vary in size from ten millimetres in wingspan to 20 centimetres or more, although with only a few exceptions they are dull moths with grey, brown or black wings and few obvious markings.
Many noctuids have larvae which are serious agricultural pests.
The family is divided up into numerous subfamilies whose characteristics are at present poorly defined. I am grateful to M. Bernard Lalanne-Cassou of INRA, Paris, for his help with identification of many of my Noctuids, where noted. The family is probably a 'natural' group, containing truly related species descended from a common ancestor. All members of this subfamily possess characteristic flanges on the dorsal surface of the abdomen which appear to provide support for the characteristic resting posture of the wings in life - the latter are rolled up in the form of a cross and pressed againts the surface on which the moth is resting, with the abdomen tilted upwards. I have only collected one unidentified species from Belize in this subfamily so far, as listed below.