Noctuoidea is the superfamily of noctuid (Latin "night owl") or "owlet" moths, and has the largest number of species described for any Lepidopteransuperfamily. Its classification has not yet reached a satisfactory or stable state. See Kitching and Rawlins (1999) for a broad review, and this reference is the source of the classification used here. The most recent classifications include only four families in the superfamily; Noctuidae, Oenosandridae, Doidae, and Notodontidae. The remaining four families listed here are presently all considered subfamilies within Noctuidae.
References
Kitching, I. J. and Rawlins, J. E. (1999). The Noctuoidea. In: Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies, Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography, ed. N. P. Kristensen, pp. 355-401. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin.
Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects and Spiders, edited by Christopher O'Toole, ISBN 1-55297-612-2, 2002
