Description of Pterophoridae
The Pterophoridae are part of the Superfamily Pterophoroidea. More than 1,000 species have been described worldwide, with probably many undescribed tropical species. In America north of Mexico, more than 150 species have been named, and these are found primarily in the West. Adults are medium to small (wingspan 1.3-4.1 cm), with long and slender bodies, legs, and wings, and a T-shaped appearance when at rest. They typically have deeply cleft wings, with each of the three divisions of the hindwings bearing broad fringes, from which the family common name derives. These moths are usually nocturnal and dull colored, tan, brown, or gray with paler and darker markings. Some species are borers in stems or roots, but most are external feeders on foliage. Pupae are either formed in larval galleries or affixed to host-plant stems or debris, fully exposed, and feed on living angiosperm plants.
