Four subfamilies:
Phycitinae with wings held more sharply roof like and close to the abdomen, some males having thickened segments near the base of the antennae (the knot-horns), having very varied larval life histories feeding on herbaceous plants, trees and shrubs and even a fungus, and some being pests of stored products (synanthropes) often adventive from warmer climates abroad.
Anerastiini having a single small narrow winged species usually found on sandy coasts but here on sandy heathland.
Galleriinae with broad wings and larvae feeding often gregariously in the nests of Hymenoptera and on stored products.
Pyralini with very broad wings often brightly coloured with yellow, pink and dull purple markings with larvae feeding on leaf litter and decaying plant material outdoors, and on stored hay and cereals indoors. These may have declined since the heyday of the horse, but some still occur around barns and farm buildings.
