Overview
The family (Turner 1921) forms a conspicuous element of the Australian fauna, but elsewhere is known only from New Guinea.
Description
Antennae bipectinate to apex in male, usually bipectinate or pectinate in female; proboscis rarely present; maxillary palps vestigial; labial palps porrect; epiphysis present in male, reduced or absent in female, tibial spurs short, 0-2-4 or 0-2-2; females rarely with vestigial wings; fore wing with retinaculum in male, 1 or 2 areoles usually present, M
2
arising nearer to M
3
than to M
1
, CuP absent, 1A + 2A forming basal fork; hind wing with functional frenulum in male, in female with only thickened frenulum base, Sc + R
1
separate from Rs, or Sc connected to Rs by R
1
, M
2
as in fore wing, CuP absent, 2 anal veins. Larva usually with verrucae and dense, branched or roughened setae, verrucae of abdominal segment 1 arranged differently from those of 2-8; crochets biordinal or multiordinal, simple. Pupa in double-walled cocoon of silk often mixed with larval hairs.