The Gracillariidae is one the largest family of primitive moths (Lepidoptera) with a wingspan varying from 4-16 mm. Gracillariid moths are generally distributed throughout the world except Antarctica, and they are more numerous in tropical areas. The larvae of most Gracillariidae species are internal feeders on live plant tissue with a tendency to olygophagy or monophagy. Many species of Gracillariidae are serious pests of agricultural and ornamental plants. The phytophagous habits made some species of Gracillariidae of economic importance. Just during the last decade the pest species on the horse chestnut tree Cameraria ohridella Deschka & Dimić and Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton on the lemon tree became perhaps the most studied lepidopterous species ever. Many other Gracillariidae species are pests of agricultural and ornamental plants feeding on 106 different plant families. Furthermore, some Gracillariidae are known as fast spreading invasive species. However, the taxonomic information on this group of mining insects is scattered in over more than 3700 literature sources. 57 museums and scientific institutions worldwide house the types of Gracillariidae in their scientific collections.

This website provides an online database of the World Gracillariidae updated with the latest information obtained from various sources and from our own studies. It currently holds information on 1901 extant species, excluding 11 unplaced and 2 fossil species which are presented in a separate list. The website provides taxonomic information on 154 genus-group names and 2623 species-group names, belonging to 104 genera (Last updated: 23 January 2009).

In addition to the digitisation projects, the Platform has been instrumental in making Belgian Biodiversity collections and databases accessible through GBIF. Visit GBIF data portal to see all datasets hosted by the us and discover how to explore species, countries and datasets from all over the world.