Small (10–20 mm wingspan) moths with rounded wings and diverse, often bright coloration. The adults usually hold their wings tentlike above the body when at rest. Larvae of most species feed on dead plant material, fungi, and detritus; one species, Hofmannophila pseudospretella, is a household pest of stored products. A few species in the subfamily Stathmopodinae are predatory on scale insects or spider eggs, or are borers or miners in living plants.

The family Oecophoridae was reassessed and restricted by Hodges (1999a), who removed a number of groups, including the Depressariinae and Ethmiinae, which are now placed within the Elachistidae. Th e Oecophoridae currently consists of approximately 3150 described species worldwide. It is particularly diverse in Australia. In North America, 42 species are known; six of these are reported from AB. Most spe- cies currently placed in the family were treated in the revisions by Clarke (1941) and Hodges (1974). Both works are required to make reliable identifications, since the latter includes few detailed illustrations.