Heliodinidae, commonly known as sun moths, is a family of small

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

s with slender bodies and narrow wings. Members of this family are found in most parts of the world. Heliodinid moths are brightly coloured day-flying moths. The base of the haustellum is bare. The scales on the head are compact and appear like a shield. Many Heliodinidae raise their hindlegs when resting but this is not a taxonomic feature and several genera like ''Epicroesa'' and ''Lamprolophus'' do not show this posture. Many Heliodinidae have the inner and outer spurs of the metatibia subequal. The larval host plants of the majority of species are in the

Aizoaceae The Aizoaceae, or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1800 species. They are commonly known as ice plants or carpet weeds. They are often called vygies in South Africa and Ne ...

Chenopodiaceae Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus '' Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making i ...

Phytolaccaceae Phytolaccaceae is a family of flowering plants. Though almost universally recognized by taxonomists, its circumscription has varied. It is also known as the Pokeweed family. The APG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system, of 1998), a ...

Portulacaceae The Portulacaceae are a family of flowering plants, comprising 115 species in a single genus '' Portulaca''. Formerly some 20 genera with about 500 species, were placed there, but it is now restricted to encompass only one genus, the other genera ...

and

Nyctaginaceae Nyctaginaceae, the four o'clock family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions. The family has a unique fruit t ...

, all in the Order Caryophyllales. A few feed on

Onagraceae The Onagraceae are a family of flowering plants known as the willowherb family or evening primrose family. They include about 650 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees Araliaceae The Araliaceae are a family of flowering plants composed of about 43 genera and around 1500 species consisting of primarily woody plants and some herbaceous plants. The morphology of Araliaceae varies widely, but it is predominantly distinguish ...

and

Piperaceae The Piperaceae (), also known as the pepper family, are a large family of flowering plants. The group contains roughly 3,600 currently accepted species in 5 genera. The vast majority of species can be found within the two main genera: ''Piper'' ...

. The pupae have long stiff hairs on their back sides.

Genera

The family includes the following genera:

Former genera

*'' Aenicteria'' *'' Coracistis'' *'' Lamachaera'' *'' Percnarcha'' *'' Placoptila'' *'' Zapyrastra'' has been listed in the Heliodinidae but is now part of Momphidae.

References

Yponomeutoidea {{Yponomeutoidea-stub