Diverse-subfamily
Guides
Phycitinae
Knot-horn Moths
Phycitinae is a subfamily of snout moths (Pyralidae) representing the most diverse lineage within its family, encompassing over 600 genera and more than 4,000 species—more than three-quarters of living snout moth diversity. Together with Epipaschiinae, they form the most advanced lineage of snout moths. Adults are typically small, slender-bodied moths with well-developed proboscises and often elongated labial palps forming a 'snout.' The subfamily exhibits remarkable ecological diversity, with larvae occupying roles as leaf rollers, seed feeders, gall inquilines, aquatic predators, and agricultural pests.