Diversity: Worldwide there are eight subfamilies, at least 165 genera, and more than 3,270 species. In North America there are five subfamilies, at least 23 genera and 220 species; four subfamilies, 11 genera, and 27 species are known from the Dakotas.

Checklist numbers: 855- 950, 1011- 1033, 1076- 1132.

Biology: Larvae have a wide variety of habits including leaf tiers, seed borers, and leaf or stem miners.

Braun, Annette F. 1948. Elachistidae of North America (Microlepidoptera). Mem. Amer. Entomol. Soc. 13: 1- 110.

Clarke, J. F. Gates, 1941. Revision of the North American moths of the family Oecophoridae, with descriptions of new genera and species. Proc. U.S. Natl. Mus. 3107 (90): 33- 286.

Duckworth, W. Donald. 1964. North American Stenomidae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea). Proc. U.S. Natl. Mus. 3495 (116): 23- 72.

Hodges, Ronald W. 1974. Fascicle 6.2 Gelechioidea Oecophoridae in Dominick et al. The moths of America north of Mexico. E. W. Classey Ltd. London. 142 pp.

__________. Chapter 9. The Gelechioidea, pp. 132- 158 in Kristensen, Neils P. ed. 1999. Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies. Part 35, Vol. 1 in Handbook of Zoology. Maximilian Fischer ed. Walter de Gryter, New York. 491 pp.

Kaila, Lauri. 1996. Revision of the Nearctic species of Elachista I. The tetragonella group (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae). Entomol. Scand. 27(2): 217-238.

__________. 1997. A revision of the Nearctic species of Elachista s. I. II. The argentella group (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae). Acta Zool. Fennica 206: 1-93.

Powell, Jerry A. 1973. A systematic monograph of the New World ethmiid moths (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea). Smithson. contrib. Zool. 120: 302 pp.