| Case-bearing Clothes Moth | |
|---|---|
| Case with pupal skin (above) Adult moth (below) |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Tineidae |
| Genus: | Tinea |
| Species: | T. pellionella |
| Binomial name | |
| Tinea pellionella (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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| Synonyms | |
|
Numerous, see text |
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The Case-bearing Clothes Moth (Tinea pellionella) is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It is the type species of its genus Tinea, which in turn is the type genus of the subfamily, family, as well as the superfamily Tineoidea.[1]
It is widespread essentially all over Europe, but also occurs (as an introduced species) in such places as North America and Australia. They are synanthropic; the adults are typically encountered during summer and early autumn (e.g. between June and October on the British Isles), but populations that live in human dwellings may be seen essentially year-round.[2]
The adults of this small moth have a wingspan of 9–16 mm. Their forewings are grizzled brown with one large and a few smaller indistinct black spots. The hindwings are plain pale brown-grey. The forewings, but especially the hindwings are surrounded by a hairy fringe. The caterpillar larvae eat mainly fibrous keratin, such as hairs and feathers. They can become a pest due to their feeding on carpets, furs, upholstery and woolen fabrics. But they also eat other suitable detritus, including cobwebs, bird nests (particularly of Domestic Pigeons, Columba livia domestica), stored vegetable produce and wallpapers. They build a snugly-fitting portable case out of food debris such as individual fibers and hairs, in which they can hide.[3]
Control measures for Case-bearing Clothes Moth infestations are the same as for the Common Clothes Moth (Tineola bisselliella); see there.
Invalid scientific names (junior synonyms and others) of the Case-bearing Clothes Moth are:[4]