The broad concept of Oecophoridae, as treated by Clarke (1941),
Hodges (1974) and others has been narrowed to include only two
subfamilies: Oecophorinae and Stathmopodinae (Hodges, 1998). The
family lacks autapomorphies and has been defined by two
polymorphic parallelisms and one reversal: 1) second abdominal
sternum with a pair of venulae or a pair of venulae and a pair
of apodemes, 2) abdominal terga with or without spiniform setae,
and 3) the hindwing with Rs and M1 separate. The family also has
the gnathos broadly fused with the tegumen and that is tapered
to a slender or rounded apex with the dorsomedial surface
covered with small dentate or slender projections. Oecophoridae
are also characterized by strongly recurved labial palpi.
Oecophoridae has a worldwide distribution and is one of the
largest families of Gelechioidea, including more than 3,150
species in about 326 genera. Larvae have diverse feeding habits
with some feeding mainly on dead plant tissue and others in
fruits and flowers, as well some