''Phereoeca allutella'', the household case-bearing moth, belongs to the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Tineinae of the fungus moth family (Tineidae). It was first described by Hans Rebel in 1892. It is an occasional

pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...

of furs, flannel and similar materials, and has been inadvertently introduced to many places it is not originally native to.Clarke (1986)

Description

The wingspan is 10–13 mm for females and 7–9 mm for males. Adults are grey with one to four black spots on the forewings, and a fringe of scales along the posterior margin of the hindwings. When at rest, the wings are held tented over the body. In the male genitals, the clasper's harpe tapers from the base, but is generally slender, with a conspicuous swelling on the basal third of the costal part which distinguishes this species. The gnathos is formed by two slim and curved parts; the uncus is likewise long and slim; it abruptly truncates at the end. The vinculum is broad, with a large slender saccus; the tegumen is elongated. The

anellus ''Anellus'' is a monotypic moth genus of the family Erebidae. Its only species, ''Anellus edai'', is known from Ishigaki Island, which is southwest of Japan. Both the genus and the species were first described by Michael Fibiger in 2008. Adults ...

is generally not sclerotized (hardened), and the

aedeagus An aedeagus (plural aedeagi) is a reproductive organ of male arthropods through which they secrete sperm from the testes during copulation with a female. It can be thought of as the insect equivalent of a mammal's penis, though the comparison ...

is somewhat more robust than the other organs, though not large, curves slightly, and is somewhat expanded near the tip. In the female genitals, the ostium is long and situated above two sclerotized horn-like swellings. The antrum is strongly sclerotized, with the

ductus seminalis In anatomy and physiology, a duct is a circumscribed channel leading from an exocrine gland or organ. Types of ducts Examples include: Duct system As ducts travel from the acinus which generates the fluid to the target, the ducts become large ...

attaching slightly before it. The

ductus bursae In anatomy and physiology, a duct is a circumscribed channel leading from an exocrine gland or organ. Types of ducts Examples include: Duct system As ducts travel from the acinus which generates the fluid to the target, the ducts become larger ...

is delicate, with no conspicuous ornaments or structures, as is the

bursa copulatrix ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...

; a signum is lacking.

Distribution and ecology

It has been recorded from Panama, the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

and

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

, Sierra Leone and perhaps elsewhere in Africa, the Seychelles, India, Java, and the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

, Samoa and the Marquesas Islands (at least on Hiva Oa) in the Pacific. A record from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

is more dubious; these individuals were described as a distinct species (''Tinea pachyspila''), but seem to be either ''P. allutella'' or the closely related and very similar plaster bagworm (''P. uterella''), which is sometimes also referred as "household casebearer".Clarke (1986) ''contra'' Robinson

011 The following is a list of different international call prefixes that need to be dialled when placing an international telephone call from different countries. Countries by international prefix Countries using optional carrier selection cod ...

/ref> The larvae feed on a variety of dead materials, including dead insects and animal hair. Feeding takes place from within a case. These larval and pupal cases have been found on the outside walls and inside of non-air-conditioned buildings and are most abundant under spiderwebs, in bathrooms and bedrooms. Possibly, the species may be associated with mammals other than man. The larval case of this species is flat, spindle shaped in outline, open at both ends, silk lined inside, and covered with sand and other small particles outside. It is constructed by the first- instar larva soon after hatching and is enlarged by each successive instar, and after special modification, is used for pupation. Fully formed cases are 8–13 mm long and 3–5 mm wide.

Footnotes

References

* (1986)
"Pyralidae and Microlepidoptera of the Marquesas Archipelago"
''Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology''. 416: 1–485. * (2011)
Global Taxonomic Database of Tineidae (Lepidoptera)
Retrieved December 23, 2011.

External links

*
Life History and Behavior of the Case-Bearer ''Phereoeca allutella'' (Lepidoptera: Tineidae)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7181461 Tineidae Moths of Seychelles Moths of Europe Moths described in 1892