One species of this genus, Porphyrosela desmodiella (Fig. 1), occurs in North America. It is a tiny gracillariid that feeds as a larva in an underside tentiform leaf mine (much like that of a typical Phyllonorycter) on plants in the family Fabaceae, including tick-trefoil, Desmodium sp., and roundhead bush clover, Lespedeza capitata. As usual for the subfamily, pupation occurs within the mine. In central Illinois, it has been reared from L. capitata, the leaf mines being collected in the third week of July. Recently-active mines also have been found in early September; this would appear to diagnose at least two generations per season.