window-winged moth

window-winged moth, (family Thyrididae), any of a group of tropical moths (order Lepidoptera) that are generally dark-coloured and small to medium-sized, with a wingspan of 10 to 30 mm (0.4 to 1.2 inches). The middle area of each wing usually has a characteristic translucent yellow or whitish area of exposed membrane, hence the name window. Larvae of some species are leaf rollers that live within a tunnel they form by tying the edges of a leaf together with silk. Larvae may also burrow in twigs and stems, causing gall-like swollen areas, or feed on seeds and flowers. For pupation they make a cocoon on the ground. Some authorities consider the several hundred species of Thyrididae to be closely related to ancestral butterflies.