''Nemapogon granella'' (European grain worm or European grain moth) is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of tineoid moth. It belongs to the

fungus moth 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. ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

(Tineidae), and therein to the subfamily

Nemapogoninae Nemapogoninae is a fungus moth subfamily of 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 cont ...

. It is the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, 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 spe ...

of its

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

Nemapogon __NOTOC__ ''Nemapogon'' is a genus of the fungus moth family, Tineidae. Therein, it belongs to the subfamily Nemapogoninae. As evident by its name, it is the type genus of its subfamily. Species As of 2007, 69 species of ''Nemapogon'' had been ...

'', and via that also of the subfamily Nemapogoninae. It is also the type species of the proposed genera ''Brosis'' (as established by J. Hübner, a

junior homonym In biology, a homonym is a name for a taxon that is identical in spelling to another such name, that belongs to a different taxon. The rule in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is that the first such name to be published is the s ...

and thus invalid) and ''Diaphthirusa'', which are consequently

junior objective synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...

s of ''Nemapogon''.

Ecology and description

This

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

ranges widely across the western

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...

. However, even in its native range its distribution is somewhat patchy; in the UK for example, it is widespread, but may still be locally absent. It has not been recorded from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, but this may simply be due to its being overlooked or confused with similar species than being genuinely absent, as it is found in the neighboring countries. Its apparent absence from

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, on the other hand, is more likely genuine. But this

synanthropic A synanthrope (from ancient Greek σύν ''sýn'' "together, with" and ἄνθρωπος ''ánthrōpos'' "man") is an organism that evolved to live near humans and benefit from human settlements and their environmental modifications (see also ...

moth has been distributed essentially all over the globe, though many such introduced

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

s are not stable for long periods of time. Still, it is regularly found in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

for example, about as far away from its native range as is possible on

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

. The adults are most often seen throughout the summer months, e.g. from March to September in the UK. Naturally, populations associated with humans can be encountered at any time of the year. Nemapogon

This small moth has a wingspan of 10–18 mm. The forewings are irregularly mottled black, white and grey, resembling close relatives such as the cork moth (''N. cloacella''). They have a row of large black spots on the leading edge, which merge with spots within the wing to form a rough band zigzagging along the length of the forewings. The hindwings are uniformly greyish-brown and surrounded by a fringe of long hairs. On the head, the adults have a tuft of yellowish-white hairs.Zagulajev, A.K., 1990 Tineidae; in G.S. Medvedev (ed.): ''Keys to the insects of the europaean part of the USSR'', Vol.IV: Lepidoptera, part 2 (english translation), Oxonian Press Pvt.Ltd., New Dehli, 1987 The

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e eat rotting wood in the wild, though they prefer

bracket fungi Polypores, also called bracket or shelf fungi, are a morphological group of basidiomycete-like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi that form large fruiting bodies called conks, which are typically woody, circular, shelf- or bracket-shaped, w ...

, usually

Polyporales The Polyporales are an order (biology), order of about 1,800 species of fungi in the division (mycology), division Basidiomycota. The order includes some (but not all) polypores as well as many corticioid fungi and a few agarics (mainly in the ge ...

. Their mainstay food included

Polyporaceae The Polyporaceae () are a family (biology), family of polypore, poroid fungi belonging to the Basidiomycota. The trama (mycology), flesh of their basidiocarp, fruit bodies varies from soft (as in the case of the dryad's saddle illustrated) to v ...

such as sulphur polypore (''Laetiporus sulphureus''), dryad's saddle (''Polyporus squamosus'') or turkey tail (''Trametes versicolor''), as well as

Fomitopsidaceae The Fomitopsidaceae are a family (biology), family of fungi in the order Polyporales. Most species are parasitic on woody plants, and tend to cause Wood-decay fungus#Brown rot, brown rots. The name comes from ''Fomitopsis'' (meaning "looking like ...

, e.g. birch polypore (''Piptoporus betulinus''). But they have also been found on ''

Serpula lacrymans ''Serpula lacrymans'' is a species of fungi known for causing dry rot. It is a basidiomycete in the order Boletales. It has the ability to rapidly colonise sites through unique and highly specialised mycelium which also leads to greater degrada ...

'' of the quite unrelated

Boletales The Boletales are an order of Agaricomycetes containing over 1300 species with a diverse array of fruiting body types. The boletes are the best known members of this group, and until recently, the Boletales were thought to only contain boletes. ...

.Grabe (1942), Kimber

010 010 may refer to: * 10 (number) * 8 (number) in octal numeral notation * Motorola 68010, a microprocessor released by Motorola in 1982 * 010, the telephone area code of Beijing * 010, the Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest ...

and see references in Savela (2009) Larvae in association with humans will feed on a variety of dry organic material, such as

dried fruit Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed prior to cooking or being eaten on its own. Drying may occur either naturally, by sun, through the use of industrial dehydrators, or by freeze drying. ...

(e.g.

bilberries Bilberries () are Eurasian low-growing shrubs in the genus ''Vaccinium'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae that bear edible, dark blue berries. They resemble but are distinct from North American blueberries. The species most often referre ...

, ''Vaccinium'') and

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the n ...

cereal A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, ...

and

legume Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

seeds,

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

, Topinambur (''Helianthus tuberosus'') stalks, and even

cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

(e.g.

s of wine and champagne bottles) and the

ergot Ergot ( ) or ergot fungi refers to a group of fungi of the genus ''Claviceps''. The most prominent member of this group is '' Claviceps purpurea'' ("rye ergot fungus"). This fungus grows on rye and related plants, and produces alkaloids that c ...

fungus ''

Claviceps purpurea ''Claviceps purpurea'' is an ergot fungus that grows on the ear (botany), ears of rye and related cereal and forage plants. Consumption of Cereal, grains or seeds contaminated with the survival structure of this fungus, the ergot sclerotium, can ...

''. Further records have been claimed from ''

Capsicum annuum ''Capsicum annuum'' is a fruiting plant from the family Solanaceae (nightshades), within the genus Capsicum which is native to the northern regions of South America and to southwestern North America. The plant produces Berry, berries of many color ...

'' fruit,

poppyseed Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the poppy plant (''Papaver somniferum''). The tiny, kidney-shaped seeds have been harvested from dried seed pods by various civilizations for thousands of years. It is still widely used in many countries ...

(''Papaver somniferum''),

bitter almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the sh ...

s (''Prunus amygdalus amara'') and

beeswax Bee hive wax complex Beeswax (also known as cera alba) is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus ''Apis''. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, which discard it in o ...

, but it is not clear if they refer to this species or the cork moth.

Synonyms

This widespread, often common and partially

has been described times and again under a variety of

scientific name In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

s, all now obsolete. In addition, it has been affected by the common problem of ''

'', namely uncertainty whether their

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

s were of male and female

gender Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...

, ending in ''-us'' or ''-a''.

Junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...

s and other obsolete scientific names of the European grain moth are:ABRS (2008b), Robinson

/ref>

* ''Nemapogon costotristrigella'' (Chambers, 1873) * ''Nemapogon costistrigella'' (lapsus) * ''Nemapogon domesticella'' (Scopoli, 1763) * ''Nemapogon fascomaculella'' (lapsus) * ''Nemapogon fenestrella'' (Scopoli, 1763b) (non Scopoli, 1763a:

preoccupied In biology, a homonym is a name for a taxon that is identical in spelling to another such name, that belongs to a different taxon. The rule in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is that the first such name to be published is the s ...

) * ''Nemapogon fuscicomella'' (Wörz, 1958) * ''Nemapogon fuscomaculella'' (Chambers, 1873) * ''Nemapogon granellus'' (lapsus) * ''Nemapogon mancuniella'' (Hodgkinson, 1880) * ''Nemapogon marmorella'' (Chambers, 1875) * ''Nemapogon nebulosella'' (Geoffroy in Fourcroy, 1785) * ''Nemapogon granella nigra'' (Dufrane, 1955) * ''Nemapogon nigroatomella'' (Dietz, 1905) * ''Nemapogon tesserella'' (Fabricius, 1794) * ''Phalaena domesticella'' Scopoli, 1763 * '' Phalaena fenestrella'' Scopoli, 1763b (non Scopoli, 1763a: preoccupied) * ''Phalaena (Tinea) granella'' Linnaeus, 1758 * ''Tinea costotristrigella'' Chambers, 1873 * ''Tinea fuscicomella'' Wörz, 1958 * ''Tinea fuscomaculella'' Chambers, 1873 * ''Tinea granella'' Linnaeus, 1758 * ''Tinea granella nigra'' Dufrane, 1955 * ''Tinea mancuniella'' Hodgkinson, 1880 * ''Tinea marmorella'' Chambers, 1875 * ''Tinea nebulosella'' Geoffroy in Fourcroy, 1785 * ''Tinea nigroatomella'' Dietz, 1905 * ''Tinea tesserella'' Fabricius, 1794 The supposed subspecies ''nigra'' form

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

has turned out to be a chance

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form may also refer to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter dat ...

, rather than a distinct population.

Footnotes

References

Australian Biological Resources Study Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) is a project undertaken by the Parks Australia Division of Australia's Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Background ABRS was founded in 1973 from the recommendations ...

(ABRS) (2008a): Australian Faunal Directory &ndash
''Nemapogon''
Version of 2008-OCT-09. Retrieved 2010-MAY-06. *

(ABRS) (2008b): Australian Faunal Directory &ndash
''Nemapogon granella''
Version of 2008-OCT-09. Retrieved 2010-MAY-06. *

Fauna Europaea Fauna Europaea is a database of the scientific names and distribution of all living multicellular European land and fresh-water animals. It serves as a standard taxonomic source for animal taxonomy within the Pan-European Species directories Infr ...

(FE) (2009)
''Nemapogon granella''
Version 2.1, 2009-DEC-22. Retrieved 2010-MAY-06. * Grabe, Albert (1942): Eigenartige Geschmacksrichtungen bei Kleinschmetterlingsraupen Strange tastes among micromoth caterpillars" ''Zeitschrift des Wiener Entomologen-Vereins'' 27: 105-109

n German N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

br>PDF fulltext
* Kimber, Ian

UKmoths &ndash
''Nemapogon granella''
Retrieved 2010-MAY-06. * Pitkin, Brian & Jenkins, Paul (2004a)
Butterflies and Moths of the World, Generic Names and their Type-species
&ndash
''Brosis'' Hübner, 1822
Version of 2004-NOV-05. Retrieved 2010-MAY-06. * Pitkin, Brian & Jenkins, Paul (2004b)
Butterflies and Moths of the World, Generic Names and their Type-species
&ndash
''Diaphthirusa''
Version of 2004-NOV-05. Retrieved 2010-MAY-06. * Pitkin, Brian & Jenkins, Paul (2004c)
Butterflies and Moths of the World, Generic Names and their Type-species
&ndash
''Nemapogon''
Version of 2004-NOV-05. Retrieved 2010-MAY-06. * Robinson, Gaden S.

br>Global Taxonomic Database of Tineidae (Lepidoptera)
&ndash
''Nemapogon granella''
Retrieved 2010-MAY-06. * Savela, Markku (2003): Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms &ndash

'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic'' Version of 2003-DEC-27. Retrieved 2010-MAY-06.

External links

Lepidoptera of Belgium

Lepiforum de

{{Taxonbar, from=Q391611 Nemapogoninae Moths described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Moths of Asia Moths of Africa Moths of Europe Moths of Oceania