''Ceratophaga vastella'', the horn moth, belongs to the clothes moth 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. ...

and is noted for its larva's ability to feed on

keratin Keratin () is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as ''scleroproteins''. It is the key structural material making up Scale (anatomy), scales, hair, Nail (anatomy), nails, feathers, horn (anatomy), horns, claws, Hoof, hoove ...

from the horns and hooves of dead ungulates, and occasionally on dried fruit or mushrooms. Keratin, a protein which makes up skin, hair, nails and feathers, is extremely resistant to

proteolysis Proteolysis is the breakdown of proteins into smaller polypeptides or amino acids. Protein degradation is a major regulatory mechanism of gene expression and contributes substantially to shaping mammalian proteomes. Uncatalysed, the hydrolysis o ...

by the enzymes from specialised micro-organisms such as fungi and bacteria. ''Ceratophaga vastella'' is widespread in the

Afrotropical realm The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...

. Thus far there are 16 described species in the genus, with 12 found in Africa, three in Asia and one, ''C. vicinella'', from the Americas, which feeds on the shells of ''

Gopherus polyphemus The gopher tortoise (''Gopherus polyphemus'') is a species of tortoise in the Family (biology), family Testudinidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrow ...

'', a tortoise from the southeastern United States, but also feeds on the horns of cattle in the US. Larvae are cream-coloured and thick-set, with brown head and tip of abdomen. Usually the larval cases are noticed on th
surface of old horns
The adult moth is a typical tineid, having a conspicuous tuft of yellow hair on the head. Other

share ''C. vastella'' diet of keratin, dried animal hides and wool - ''C. ethadopa'' (Meyr.), '' Monopis rejectella'' (Wlk.), ''

Tinea pellionella ''Tinea pellionella'', the case-bearing clothes moth, is a species of tineoid moth in the family Tineidae, the fungus moths. This species has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring nearly worldwide. Taxonomy Being a widespread species and often ...

'' and ''

Tineola bisselliella ''Tineola bisselliella'', known as the common clothes moth, webbing clothes moth, or simply clothing moth, is a species of fungus moth (family (biology), family Tineidae, subfamily Tineinae). It is the type species of its genus ''Tineola'' and wa ...

''. The entomologist Thomas de Grey (1843–1919) suggested that the larvae of this species may occasionally be found in the horns of living animals. Zeller and

Roland Trimen Roland Trimen Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (29 October 1840 in London – 25 July 1916 in London) was a British-South African Natural history, naturalist, best known for ''South African Butterflies'' (1887–89), a collaborative work wi ...

, however, expressed their doubts about larvae feeding off the horn of a living animal and were supported in this view by Lieutenant Colonel the Hon. Wenman Coke, a soldier and hunter. Thomas de Grey also wrote: "I have in my own collection a pair of horns of ''Kobus ellipsiprymnus'', which are bored by the larvae of this species, the substance of the horn itself being visibly perforated in several places up to one-fourth from the base". This is a clear suggestion that the larvae do not confine themselves to keratin, but will also venture into the bony part of the horn.''Natural History Review,'' vol. iii., 1856, p. 23 of the ''Proceedings of the Dublin Zoological Association''
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References

*Zeller, P. C. 1852a. ''Lepidoptera Microptera, quae J. A. Wahlberg in Caffrorum terra collegit'' *Don R. Davis, Smithsonian Institution (pers. comm.)

External links

Gallery of ''Ceratophaga vastella''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5063793 Tineidae Moths described in 1852 Moths of Africa Moths of Madagascar Taxa named by Philipp Christoph Zeller