The moths occur worldwide, with 19 genera in three subfamilies defined by the structural characteristics of the immature stages (larvae and pupae), rather than the characters of the adults (Heppner and Duckworth, 1981; Rota, 2005).

These small moths often bear metallic scales[1] and are mostly day-flying (some also come to lights), with a jerky, pivoting behaviour, and may fluff up their wings at an extreme angle.

[2] The members of the genus Brenthia, usually placed in their own subfamily Brenthiinae, have eyespots on the wings and have been shown to mimic jumping spiders (Rota and Wagner, 2006).

[3] The foodplants of many Choreutinae occurring in the temperate region and some tropical species are known [4] being dominated by Asteraceae, Betulaceae, Boraginaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Fabaceae, Labiatae, Moraceae (mainly Ficus), Rosaceae, Sapindaceae and Urticaceae.

The European nettle-tap moth (Anthophila fabriciana Linnaeus, 1767), [nb 1]is a familiar sight pirouetting around "stinging nettles" Urtica and nearby flowers while Choreutis pariana [5] skeletonizes apple leaves.