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The species in this subfamily all have white, creamy white or greyish
white wings, the hindwing usually tailed or angled at M3, often with black spots
associated. The general fasciation consists of numerous fine tuft striae or
lines, or a combination of the two. The male antennae are filiform, sometimes
flattened. In many species the males are grey below, the females white.
The male abdomen has a number of features that are relatively uniform
across the group. The eighth sternite has a central zone of denser scales
distally. The genitalia have the uncus completely bifid, and there are deciduous
hair brushes or culcita associated with the valve bases. The valves are
relatively narrow, generally rather membraneous, almost corematous with a small
tuft of hair-like setae interiorly. The valve costa terminates before this
apical portion usually in a digitate spur or spurs. The juxta is elongate,
strap-like, terminating in a pair of lobes that each bear a tuft of hair-like
setae; often there is a second pair of lobes more centrally, these rather
conical with coarser, sparse, shorter setae. In Micronia Guenée there is
a gnathus, and vestiges of the bases of this structure can be seen between the
uncus and tegumen in some other genera.
In the female the seventh sternite sometimes has a pair of scale patches
similar to the single one of the male. Segments 8-10 are short, the sterigma
unmodified. The ductus bursae is slender, the bursa usually with a subbasal
signum consisting of a pair of sclerotised patches with short spines directed
away from their common axis.
The group is restricted to the Old World tropics. In addition to the
Bornean genera discussed below, there is Dissoprumna Warren, with two
Afrotropical species, and Aploschema Warren (Africa, Australia: see
description of Acropteris).
Only the larvae of species of Acropteris Geyer are known (See
Acropteris Geyer), and their host-plants are in the Asclepiadaceae. Nakamura &
Yoshiyasu (1992) noted that the larvae had an SL2 seta on the abdomen, and the
pupal labial palp was concealed as in the Epipleminae.
Lees & Smith (1991) described the flight as laboured, conspicuous,
normally crepuscular or nocturnal. When disturbed by day, they flutter slowly
for awhile before alighting on or underneath a leaf.
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