Lepidopterology is the study of what?

Lepidopterology is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies. Someone that studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian.

Although the chief mode of study of the butterflies was through pinned specimen collections, it was difficult for cataloging and communicating names and descriptions widely. Books on butterflies with plates that were either hand-painted, lithographed and printed have been a major tool in lepidopterology. These include the massive works by Adalbert Seitz. Some unusual works like the "Butterfly Fauna of Ceylon" (1942) by Lionel Gilbert Ollyett Woodhouse (1888-1965) and "Moths and Butterflies of the United States East of the Rocky Mountains" (1900) by Sherman F. Denton made use of butterfly wing-prints where the illustrations incorporated the scales of the wings.

The word lepidopterology comes from the Greek word lepis (scale), pteron (wing), and logia (branch of study). Lepidopterists are served by a number of scientific societies, both national and international in scope. They promote research in lepidopterology and dissemination of the findings therefrom primarily through the arrangement of talks such as the biennial European Congresses of Lepidopterology or the TILS Leps Talk.