Dichomeris Hübner, 1818: 25. Type species: Dichomeris ligulella Hübner, 1818, by subsequent designation. Synonyms see Hodges 1986.
Diagnostic characters: Head with ocellus present or absent; labial palpus with developed scale tuft or long scales on second segment; mesothorax with or without hair pencil arising from anepisternum in male; forewing with R 1, R 2 and R 3 almost parallel, R 4 and R 5 short-stalked, M 2 close to M 3, CuA 1 and CuA 2 short-stalked, 1 A+ 2 A forked basally, CuP absent; hindwing with M 3 close to or fused with CuA 2 at base. Male gnathos strongly hook-shaped, culcitula densely spinous; valva with either dorsal margin or ventral margin protrudent, or dilated distally; vinculum developed, usually with symmetrical lateral lobes; sicae developed, phallus with one or several sclerotized lobes from zone. Female ductus bursae usually with sclerotized lobes extending into corpus bursae; corpus bursae with accessory bursae, signum present or absent.
Biology. Larvae of the most known species in this genus feed on woody plants. Most of them feed in folded or rolled leaves, some feed in buds, bean-pod and roots, and some feed in leaf or needle miners (Li 2002).
Distribution. The genus Dichomeris occurs in all regions except New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, the arctic and subarctic regions (Hodges 1986, Dugdale 1988).