Erechthias minuscula | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Tineidae |
Genus: | Erechthias |
Species: | E. minuscula |
Binomial name | |
Erechthias minuscula (Walsingham, 1897) |
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Synonyms | |
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The Erechthias Clothes Moth (Erechthias minuscula) is a moth of the Tineidae family. It is widespread and has been recorded from Africa, Sri Lanka, Java, Australia, the Caroline Islands, Fiji, Samoa, the Marquesas, the West Indies, Hawaii and Florida.
The ground color of the adults is mostly cream or pale straw-colored. The forewings, which are strongly upturned at the tips, are variably and extensively marked with pale to dark brown scales.
The larvae are scavengers in dead plant materials and may be found in dead tree trunks, stems, leaves, fruits, and seed pods. Recorded plant material used as food includes Acacia koa, Acacia koaia, banana, Calotropis, Cassia, eggplant, fig, Lantana, palms, Pandanus, papaya, pineapple, Pipturus, Sapindus oahuensis, Sicana odorifera as well as old tamarind pods.