The Family Gelechiidae
The family Gelechiidae (Twirler moths or Gelechiid moths) is a family of moths in the homonymous superfamily Gelechioidea. Their relationships with other families and the family’s taxonomy has been subject to considerable dispute. Due to the many revisions to superfamily, they still serve to show the enormous biodiversity contained in this important family.
They are generally tiny moths with narrow, fringed wings. The brown adults have gray or silver markings and average wingspan 19 mm. The hindwings are trapezoidal in shape and have concave outer margins below the apex and pointed tips, in contrast with the more typical, narrow forewings.
The larval habits of gelechiid moths vary. Larvae may mine or bore in plants, spin webs, form galls, or roll leaves. They are pale and naked and pupate within silken cocoons.
The following species are representative species of the Gelechiidae moths that have been photographed on the island of Crete. You can obtain more information about each species, by selecting the relative species icon. The list of Gelechiidae species is nondefinitive.
List of Gelechiidae species in Crete
