''Tinea pellionella'', the case-bearing clothes moth, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

tineoid moth Tineoidea is the ditrysian superfamily of moths that includes clothes moths, bagworms and relatives. There are six families usually included within it, Eriocottidae, Arrhenophanidae, Lypusidae, Acrolophidae, Tineidae and Psychidae, whose rela ...

in the family

Tineidae Tineidae is a family of moths in the order Lepidoptera described by Pierre André Latreille in 1810. Collectively, they are known as fungus moths or tineid moths. The family contains considerably more than 3,000 species in more than 300 genera. ...

, the fungus moths. This species has a

cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The extr ...

, occurring nearly worldwide.Cheema, P. S. (1956).
Studies on the bionomics of the case-bearing clothes moth, ''Tinea pellionella'' (L.)
''Bulletin of Entomological Research'' 47(1), 167-82.

Taxonomy

Being a widespread species and often affiliated with humans, ''T. pellionella'' was among the first moths to be scientifically described in the modern sense. At that time most moths were included in a single genus ''"

Phalaena ''Phalaena'' is an obsolete genus of Lepidoptera used by Carl Linnaeus to house most moths. ''Phalaena'' was one of three genera used by Linnaeus to cover all Lepidoptera. ''Papilio'' included all butterflies at that time, ''Sphinx'' included al ...

"'', but ''Tinea'' was already recognized as a distinct

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between ...

. Some later researchers who studied this moth erroneously believed they had discovered populations formerly unknown to science and described them as new species, but today these are all included within ''T. pellionella''. Obsolete scientific names for this moth thus may be encountered in the literature, and include: It is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specim ...

of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

Tinea Dermatophytosis, also known as ringworm, is a fungal infection of the skin. Typically it results in a red, itchy, scaly, circular rash. Hair loss may occur in the area affected. Symptoms begin four to fourteen days after exposure. Multiple ar ...

'', which in turn is the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal ...

of the subfamily, family, as well as the superfamily Tineoidea.Pitkin, B. and P. Jenkins. (2004)
''Tinea''.
Butterflies and Moths of the World. Natural History Museum, London.Species ''Tinea pellionella'' Linnaeus, 1758.
Australian Biological Resources Study. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Australian Government.''Tinea pellionella'' Linnaeus, 1758.
Fauna Europaea. Version 2.4, 2011. Its

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bo ...

is derived from "tinea", a generic term for

micromoth Microlepidoptera (micromoths) is an artificial (i.e., unranked and not monophyletic) grouping of moth families, commonly known as the 'smaller moths' (micro, Lepidoptera). These generally have wingspans of under 20 mm, and are thus harder to ...

s, and the Latin term for a

furrier Fur clothing is clothing made from the preserved skins of mammals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing, and is thought to have been widely used by people for at least 120,000 years. The term 'fur' is often used to refer to a specific i ...

, ''pellionellus''. Another common name is "bagworm" due to the case that their larvae carry around, but not to be confused with the

Psychidae The Psychidae (bagworm moths, also simply bagworms or bagmoths) are a family of the Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). The bagworm family is fairly small, with about 1,350 species described. Bagworm species are found globally, with some, ...

that are also called "bagworms" in English.

Description

It is silvery grey to shiny light brown in color, with dark grayish hairs on the top of its head. The adult of this species has a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...

of 9 to 16 millimeters. Its forewings are grizzled brown with one large spot and a few smaller, indistinct black spots. The hindwings are plain pale brown-grey. Difficult to distinguish from ''

Tinea columbariella ''Tinea columbariella'' is a moth belonging to the family Tineidae. The species was first described by Wocke in 1877. It has a cosmopolitan distribution. Description Wingspan 9-15 mm. Head with rust brown hair. Antennae just over half the front ...

'', ''

Tinea dubiella ''Tinea dubiella'' is a species of moth belonging to the family Tineidae. It is native to Europe. This species has been recorded in New Zealand and is regarded as being established in that country. Description Head with rust red hair.Forewing da ...

'' and ''

Tinea svenssoni ''Tinea svenssoni'' is a moth of the family Tineidae. It is found in northern Europe ( Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Baltic region), Russia, as well as North America where has been recorded from Québec. The wingspan is . The forewings are ...

'' but the genitalia are diagnostic. The forewings, but especially the hindwings are surrounded by a hairy fringe. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

eats mainly

fibrous Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporat ...

keratin Keratin () is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as ''scleroproteins''. Alpha-keratin (α-keratin) is a type of keratin found in vertebrates. It is the key structural material making up Scale (anatomy), scales, hair, Nail ...

, such as

hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fi ...

s and

feather Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and a premie ...

s. It can become a pest when it feeds on

carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester ...

s, furs,

upholstery Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English ...

, and

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not ...

s. It also consumes

detritus In biology, detritus () is dead particulate organic material, as distinguished from dissolved organic material. Detritus typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms, and fecal material. Detritus typically hosts comm ...

cobwebs A spider web, spiderweb, spider's web, or cobweb (from the archaic word '' coppe'', meaning "spider") is a structure created by a spider out of proteinaceous spider silk extruded from its spinnerets, generally meant to catch its prey. Spi ...

bird nest A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American robin or Eurasian bla ...

s (particularly of the

domestic pigeon The domestic pigeon (''Columba livia domestica'' or ''Columba livia'' ''forma'' ''domestica'') is a pigeon subspecies that was derived from the rock dove (also called the rock pigeon). The rock pigeon is the world's oldest domesticated bird. ...

), stored

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the edible flower, flowers, ...

produce and

wallpaper Wallpaper is a material used in interior decoration to decorate the interior walls of domestic and public buildings. It is usually sold in rolls and is applied onto a wall using wallpaper paste. Wallpapers can come plain as "lining paper" (so ...

. It stays inside a snug case it constructs from debris such as fibers and hairs.Grabe, A. (1942)
Eigenartige Geschmacksrichtungen bei Kleinschmetterlingsraupen ("Strange tastes among micromoth caterpillars").
''Zeitschrift des Wiener Entomologen-Vereins'' 27: 105-09. (in German)

Biology

It is

synanthropic A synanthrope (from the Greek σύν ''syn'', "together with" + ἄνθρωπος ''anthropos'', "man") is a member of a species of wild animal or plant that lives near, and benefits from, an association with human beings and the somewhat artific ...

; the adult is typically encountered during summer and early autumn, but populations that live in human dwellings may be seen at other times of the year.Kimber, I
Case-bearing Clothes Moth, ''Tinea pellionella''.
UKMoths. 2013. Control measures for the case-bearing clothes moth are similar to those for the

common clothes moth Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally co ...

(''Tineola bisselliella''), and include physical, chemical, and biological measures.

References

*Gaedike,R. 2019 Tineidae II : Myrmecozelinae, Perissomasticinae, Tineinae, Hieroxestinae, Teichobiinae and Stathmopolitinae ''Microlepidoptera of Europe'', vol. 9. Leiden : Brill, 019 *Petersen, G., 1957: Die Genitalien der paläarktischen Tineiden (Lepidoptera: Tineidae). ''Beiträge zur Entomologie'' 7 (1/2): 55–176.

External links

UK MothsLepiforum de

External links

Lepiforum.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tinea Pellionella Tineinae Moths described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Cosmopolitan moths