The Chilean moth (''Chilecomadia moorei'') is a moth of the family Cossidae. The butterworm is the larval form and is commonly used as fishing bait in South America."The Incredible Edible Worm", by Audrey Pavia, ''Reptiles Magazine'', July, 2007 Butterworms, like mealworms, are used as

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...

for

insectivore A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores wer ...

pets, such as

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

s and other

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

s, as their scent and bright color help attract the more stubborn eaters. They are also called tebo worms or trevo worms, and are high in fat and calcium. They are difficult to breed in captivity, and most are imported directly from Chile. They are usually irradiated to kill bacteria and prevent pupation as the moth is an invasive species.

References

Pet foods Chilecomadiinae Fishing equipment Moths described in 1915 {{Cossoidea-stub