Superfamily Gelechioidea - Twirler Moths and kin

Curved-horn Moths

Gelechioidea Stainton, 1854

We follow the classification proposed by Heikkilä et al. (2014) (1)

Gelechioidea from the type genus Gelechia (Hübner), from Greek meaning "resting on the ground." (2)

15 families in our area (3).

Many have characteristically curved very large labial palps, hence the name "curved-horn moths".

Below is a guide to the local families of Gelechioidea. The images included are meant to be illustrative of the general appearance of each family as an aid for narrowing down possibilities for identification. While the commonest elements of forewing maculation in each family are represented, many patterns are not.

Autostichidae

Batrachedridae

Blastobasidae

Coleophoridae

Cosmopterigidae

Depressariidae

Elachistidae

Gelechiidae

Lecithoceridae

Momphidae

Oecophoridae

Pterolonchidae

Scythrididae

Stathmopodidae

Unplaced Genera

The superfamily contains the case-bearers, twirler moths, flower moths, and others.

It is a poorly known group of Microlepidoptera. The taxonomy needs revision. At least 1,425 genera and 18,500 species are described. This is probably only 25% of the species.

Bucheli, S.R., 2009. Annotated review and discussion of phylogenetically important characters for families and subfamilies of Gelechioidea (Insecta: Lepidoptera). Zootaxa 2261, 1-22.

Wikipedia