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Cosmopterigidae

family of insects

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 21, 2026
Entity authorityQ134107
Source-derived summary

The Cosmopterigidae are a family of insects (cosmet moths) in the order Lepidoptera. These are small moths with narrow wings whose tiny larvae feed internally on the leaves, seeds and stems of their host plants. About 1500 species have been described. The taxonomic family is most diverse in the Australian and Pacific region with about 780 species.

Several genera formerly included here have been moved to the Agonoxeninae.

Taxonomy

The family consists of four subfamilies:

Subfamily Antequerinae Hodges, 1978

Subfamily Chrysopeleiinae Mosher, 1916

Subfamily Cosmopteriginae Heinemann & Wocke, 1876

Subfamily Scaeosophinae Meyrick, 1922

Genera

The following genera are in subfamily Cosmopteriginae or not assigned to a subfamily: For genera assigned the other subfamilues see Antequerinae, Chrysopeleiinae, and Scaeosophinae.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Cosmopterigidae” is family of insects. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Cosmopterigidae, family and insects, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1500, 1978, 1916, 1876—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, Cosmopterigidae, family and insects is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “family of insects” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q134107. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1500, 1978, 1916 and 1876.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Cosmopterigidae”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Cosmopterigidae primary sources, Cosmopterigidae archive and Cosmopterigidae research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cosmopterigidae”?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Cosmopterigidae” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.