Depressariidae
Guides
Eupragia hospita
Streaked Eupragia
Eupragia hospita is a moth in the family Depressariidae, described by Ronald W. Hodges in 1969. It is known from the southeastern United States, with records spanning from Florida north to South Carolina and west to Texas. The species has been documented in 291 iNaturalist observations. As a member of Depressariidae, it belongs to a family of small to medium-sized moths commonly known as flat-bodied moths or curved-horn moths.
Exaeretia gracilis
Ambrosia Seed Moth
Exaeretia gracilis is a small moth in the family Depressariidae, described by Lord Walsingham in 1889. It is known from the central United States, with a wingspan of 16–20 mm. The larvae feed specifically on Ambrosia psilostachya (western ragweed), making it a specialist herbivore.
Gonioterma mistrella
Gonioterma mistrella is a small moth in the family Depressariidae, described by Busck in 1907. It is distributed across central and eastern North America, from Manitoba and Pennsylvania south to Texas and Mexico. Adults are active primarily during the warmer months, with larvae feeding specifically on timothy grass (Phleum pratense).
Himmacia huachucella
Himmacia huachucella is a small moth in the family Depressariidae, described by August Busck in 1908. It is known from Arizona in the southwestern United States. The species has a wingspan of 21–25 mm and exhibits distinctive salmon-ochreous forewings. Larvae feed on specific oak species, including Quercus hypoleucoides and Quercus arizonica.
Himmacia stratia
A small moth in the family Depressariidae, described by Ronald W. Hodges in 1974. Known from a single state in the southwestern United States, this species has a wingspan of approximately 20 mm and adult flight activity limited to mid-summer months.
Menestomorpha
Menestomorpha is a genus of small moths in the family Depressariidae, first described by Walsingham in 1907. The genus contains two described species: Menestomorpha kimballi, described from Florida in 1964, and the type species Menestomorpha oblongata, described from Mexico in 1907. Members of this genus are classified within the subfamily Stenomatinae, a group of gelechioid moths often associated with dead or decaying plant material.
Menestomorpha oblongata
Menestomorpha oblongata is a small moth in the family Depressariidae, first described by Walsingham in 1907. It is known from limited records in Florida, Arizona, and California. The species has a wingspan of approximately 15 mm and distinctive forewing patterning with brown bands forming a V-shape. It has been reared from cynipid galls on Quercus (oak) species, indicating a specific ecological association with gall-forming wasps and their oak hosts.
Nites
Nites is a genus of moths in the family Depressariidae, established by Hodges in 1974. The genus contains five described species distributed in North America, including Nites grotella, Nites betulella, and Nites ostryella. These are small to medium-sized moths typically associated with woody plants as larvae. The genus is part of the diverse superfamily Gelechioidea, which includes many concealed-feeding moth lineages.
Oditinae
Oditinae is a subfamily of small moths within the family Depressariidae, established by Lvovsky in 1996. The subfamily includes genera such as Odites and Amphitrias. Some taxonomic sources alternatively place Oditinae within Peleopodidae, reflecting ongoing classification debate. Members are primarily documented from Asia, with taxonomic studies focused on species-level revisions.
Psilocorsis cirrhoptera
Psilocorsis cirrhoptera is a small moth in the family Depressariidae, described by Ronald W. Hodges in 1961. It is known from Arizona, North America, where adults have been recorded in July. The species is one of several Psilocorsis moths whose leaf-tying caterpillars are hunted by mason wasps as prey. The wingspan is approximately 19 mm.
Psilocorsis cryptolechiella
Black-fringed Leaftier Moth, Black-fringed Psilocorsis Moth, Beech Leaftier
Psilocorsis cryptolechiella is a small moth in the family Depressariidae known for its distinctive larval behavior of tying leaves together to form shelters. The species is primarily associated with beech trees (Fagus species) and has been documented across the eastern and central United States. Adults are modest in appearance with a wingspan of approximately 16 mm. The larvae create characteristic leaf shelters by binding leaves together with silk, earning the species its common names.
Psilocorsis reflexella
Dotted Leaftier Moth
Psilocorsis reflexella is a small moth in the family Depressariidae. Larvae are leaf-tiers that bind oak leaves together to form shelters. The species serves as prey for solitary wasps, particularly mason wasps in the genus Ancistrocerus. It occurs across eastern and central North America.
Pyramidobela
Pyramidobela is a genus of small moths described by Braun in 1923. Its familial placement has been disputed; it was originally described in Ethmiidae, later transferred to Oecophoridae, and some sources place it in Depressariidae. The genus contains seven described species distributed in western North America. The genus name refers to the pyramid-shaped scales found on the wings of some species.
Rectiostoma
Rectiostoma is a genus of moths in the family Depressariidae, established by Becker in 1982. The genus contains approximately 17 described species, many of which were described by Duckworth in 1971. Species are primarily Neotropical in distribution. The genus is classified within the subfamily Stenomatinae.
Rectiostoma xanthobasis
Yellow-vested Moth
Rectiostoma xanthobasis is a small moth in the family Depressariidae, described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1876. It is distinguished by striking yellow and dark brown wing patterning that gives rise to its common name. The species is endemic to eastern North America, with larvae that feed on oak leaves from within silk-constructed shelters.
Semioscopis
Semioscopis is a genus of small moths in the family Depressariidae, comprising approximately 14 valid species distributed across the Palearctic and Nearctic regions. The genus was established by Hübner in 1825 and is currently classified in the subfamily Depressariinae. Species are distinguished primarily by genitalia morphology and grouped into seven species-level clades based on phylogenetic analysis of COI gene sequences. A new species, S. sinicella, was described in 2025 from montane habitat in central China.
Semioscopis aurorella
Aurora Flatbody Moth
Semioscopis aurorella, the aurora flatbody moth, is a small moth in the family Depressariidae. It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1902. The species occurs in boreal and temperate regions of North America, with a range extending from north-central Alberta to south-eastern Ontario in Canada, and south into the north-central United States. Forewing length ranges from 11–14 mm.
Semioscopis megamicrella
Pale Semioscopis
Semioscopis megamicrella is a small moth in the family Depressariidae, first described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1902. It is known from the northern United States and southern Canada. The species has a wingspan of 15–25 mm and is active as an adult in spring.
Semioscopis merriccella
Merrick's Semioscopis
Semioscopis merriccella is a moth in the family Depressariidae, described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1902. It occurs across northern North America from coast to coast. Adults are active in spring, with forewings measuring 11–15 mm.
Semioscopis packardella
Packard's Concealer Moth, Packard's Flatbody Moth
A small moth in the family Depressariidae, described by James Brackenridge Clemens in 1863. Known from scattered localities across North America. The common name references the flattened body shape characteristic of many Depressariidae.
Stenomatinae
Stenomatine moths
Stenomatinae is a subfamily of small moths in the family Depressariidae, first described by Meyrick in 1906. The subfamily includes diverse genera distributed primarily in tropical and subtropical regions, with notable representation in the Neotropics including the Brazilian Cerrado and Mascarene islands. Members are characterized by their small size and often inconspicuous appearance. Some species have been documented with specialized host plant associations, particularly with woody plants in families such as Malpighiaceae.