Several members of this subfamily remain relatively obscure, only being known from a single specimen, as in the case of the genus Isocrambia.

The majority of the subfamily extending as far north as the Russian Far-East (Elcysma westwoodi[1]) and as far west as Pakistan (Campylotes).

A single genus, Aglaope is disjunctly distributed from the remainder of the subfamily, being found in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France.

Yen Shen-Horn designates 19 unique types, separated by wing patterns which allow the ability to mimic a large variety of lepidopterans.

Species that are mimicked by Chalcosiine moths include: Laelia, Pantana, Calinaga, Parantica, Aporia, Idea, Ideopsis, Euploea, Danaus, Delias, Eurema, Milionia, Scrobigera, Nyctemera, Dysphania, Lithosiinae, Sesiidae, Syntomini, Asota, Damias, Retina, Troidini, Melanothrix Alberti (1954) created five tribes within the subfamily.