Stathmopodidae (Meyrick, 1913)

The Family Stathmopodidae

The family Stathmopodidae is a family of moths in the moth superfamily Gelechioidea described by Edward Meyrick in 1913. The family Stathmopodidae is with 300+ species mainly represented in the Indo-Australian and Afrotropical regions, less in the Palaearctic region, and with only a few species in the New World.

They are small to medium-sized moths and the wings vary from very narrow and pointed to rather broad (wingspan 6–30 mm.). The forewings often appear many-colored and the head is broad and smooth, with a dorsal ridge. The resting position of many species, with the brushed hind tibiae, held aside or even upwards, is very peculiar.

The larvae feed in fruits and flowers, also on sporangia of ferns, or as scavengers or predators in colonies of scale insects.

The following species are representative species of the Stathmopodidae 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 Stathmopodidae species is nondefinitive.

List of Stathmopodidae species in Crete