The Dioptinae are an almost exclusively neotropical group of day-flying moths, many of which exhibit bright wing coloration and are involved in mimicry rings with butterflies (especially Ithomiini) and moths of the subfamilies Sterrhinae and Arctiinae.
The subfamily was formerly placed in a separate family (Dioptidae). Furthermore, the tribe Josiini has been treated as a family (Josiidae) by Piepers & Snellen in 1900 and as a subfamily (Josiinae) by Kiriakoff in 1950.