Overview
Larvae feed on
Persoonia
and other Proteaceae, at first mining in leaves and later living in shelters formed by joining adjacent leaves.
Description
Small to very small; head with raised piliform scales; ocelli present or absent; pilifers setose; proboscis present, maxillary palps 5- (or rarely 4-) segmented; labial palps with lateral bristles on second segment; epiphysis present; spurs 0-2-4; wings with microtrichia (sometimes absent on base of fore wing), scales with ridge dimorphism, fore wing usually with all R and M veins separate; fore and hind wings and abdomen of males often with hair-pencils and specialised scales; ovipositor non-piercing, short and nearly truncate, with medial sensory ridge; ductus bursae often a with complex sclerotised structure posteriorly, colliculum. Pupa with one transverse row of spines anteriorly on abdominal terga.
Distribution
Five genera and 28 species of this family occur in southern South America (Davis 1986) and two genera and about 30 species in Australia. The species of
Azaleodes
(4 spp.) are strongly sexually dimorphic (Nielsen 1987).
Azaleodes
and some species of
Ptyssoptera
(25 spp.) occur in rainforests in eastern Australia. Other species of the
Ptyssoptera
are widely distributed in Australia.