The subfamily includes the sloth moths (genera Cryptoses, Bradypodicola and Bradypophila). The caterpillar larvae of these species feed on the dung of sloths, and adults live in the sloths' fur. Other unusual Chrysauginae caterpillars have been found in Hymenoptera nests and on the spines of caterpillars of the brush-footed butterfly genus Automeris. But usually, their larvae feed on plants, boring into seed, fruits, stems and roots, or rolling and spinning leaves together to form a hideout.
