Page 289 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Tineidae
DISTRIBUTION Widespread, recorded across the Americas, Africa, Europe,
Asia, and Australasia
HABITAT Mainly in buildings and outbuildings, occasionally outdoors
in birds’ nests

HOSTS Animal bers, including fur, hair, feathers, clothing, and carpets;
also stored vegetable products, owl pellets, other debris, and
even wallpaper
NOTE Worldwide caterpillar pest of economic importance, mainly
damaging natural bers

CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but widespread in many parts of the world

ADULT WINGSPAN
⅜–⅝ in (10–16 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
TINEA PELLIONELLA ⅜ in (10 mm)
CASE-BEARING
CLOTHES MOTH 287

LINNAEUS, 1758

The Case-bearing Clothes Moth caterpillar hatches from up to
100 eggs laid in or near the host materials, which it prefers soiled,

rather than clean. In the rst instar, it spins a tubular silken case
covered in tiny fragments of debris and lives within it for its
entire larval life. At each end, the case is attened and open.

Using its true legs, the caterpillar crawls around in this case, into Actual size
which it can fully retract itself. Pupation also occurs within the
case, after the caterpillar has moved well away from the food
source. The caterpillars can be found at any time of year. The Case-bearing Clothes Moth caterpillar is
mainly plain, smooth, and whitish, apart from
the head, which is dark brown. There are two
The rather plain, brown adults may be found throughout the dark brown plates on the prothorax on the
year but more frequently in the warmer months, in one or more upper side behind the head. The cuticle is quite
translucent so that the gut contents may be
broods. Several clothes moths of the genus Tinea have very visible as a dark central line along the body.
similar caterpillars that live in silken tubes; this is one of the
most widespread and abundant of such species in temperate or
subtropical regions. The speci c name pellionella comes from

the Latin pellionis, meaning “a furrier.”