Ceratophaga vastella | |
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Species: | C. vastella |
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Ceratophaga vastella (Zeller, 1852) | |
Synonyms | |
Ceratophaga vastella, or the horn moth, belongs to the clothes moth family Tineidae and is noted for its larva's ability to feed on keratin 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 by the enzymes from specialised micro-organisms such as fungi and bacteria.
Ceratophaga vastella is widespread in the Afrotropical realm. 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 , 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 the surface of old horns. The adult moth is a typical tineid, having a conspicuous tuft of yellow hair on the head. Other Tineidae share C. vastella's diet of keratin, dried animal hides and wool - C. ethadopa (Meyr.), Monopis rejectella (Wlk.), Tinea pellionella and Tineola bisselliella . [1] [2]
The entomologist Thomas de Grey (1843–1919) suggested that the larvae of this species may occasionally be found in the horns of living animals. [3]
Mr. Haliday made some remarks on two pairs of antelope's horns, exhibited to the meeting by J. M. Neligan, M.D. These horns belonging, one pair to Oreas canna (pi. i., fig. 3), the other to Kobus ellipsiprymnus were brought home from the Gambia by J. Fitzgibbon, Esq., M.D., who lately purchased them from some natives in the market at Macarthy's Island, being struck with their appearance, as they were perforated by grubs enclosed in cases which projected abundantly from the surface of the horns, although these were taken from freshly-killed animals, the blood not having dried up on them when brought to market. The most remarkable point was the evidence that the horns had been thus infested while the animal was yet living which bore them. As the fibrous substance of the horn undergoes little or no change at the death of the animal, there seems to be no reason why the moth should not deposit its eggs when the living animal is at rest, nor why the larva should not penetrate the horn; but the question must be considered to be "sub judice".
— Thomas de Grey, 6th Baron Walsingham - Micro-Lepidoptera
Zeller and Roland Trimen, 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. [4]
Manduca sexta is a moth of the family Sphingidae present through much of the Americas. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1763 Centuria Insectorum.
Dermestidae are a family of Coleoptera that are commonly referred to as skin beetles. Other common names include larder beetle, hide or leather beetles, carpet beetles, and khapra beetles. There are approximately 500 to 700 species worldwide. They can range in size from 1 to 12 mm. Key characteristics for adults are round oval shaped bodies covered in scales or setae. The usually clubbed antennae fit into deep grooves. The hind femora also fit into recesses of the coxa. Larvae are scarabaeiform and also have setae.
The ghost moth or ghost swift is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It is common throughout Europe, except for in the far south-east.
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. Most of the tineid moths are small or medium-sized, with wings held roofwise over the body when at rest. They are particularly common in the Palaearctic, but many occur elsewhere, and some are found very widely as introduced species.
Tineola bisselliella, known as the common clothes moth, webbing clothes moth, or simply clothing moth, is a species of fungus moth. It is the type species of its genus Tineola and was first described by the Swedish entomologist Arvid David Hummel in 1823. The specific name is commonly misspelled biselliella – for example by G. A. W. Herrich-Schäffer, when he established Tineola in 1853.
Ceratophaga is a genus of moths belonging to the family Tineidae. The name "ceratophaga" is derived from the Greek for "horn eater". Sixteen species are currently recognised, widespread in the Afrotropical realm and Asia. In the Americas one species has been described: Ceratophaga vicinella, which occurs in the southeastern United States. Twelve of the known species occur in Africa, and of those Ceratophaga vastella is perhaps the best-known.
Ceratophaga vicinella is a species of moth belonging to the family Tineidae. It has a restricted range in the southeastern United States, mainly in Florida and Mississippi.
Archips podana, the large fruit-tree tortrix, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. The species was first described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in his 1763 Entomologia Carniolica. It is found in Europe, Asia from Anatolia to Japan and is an introduced species in North America.
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.
Eriocrania unimaculella is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae found in Europe. It was first described by the Swedish naturalist Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt in 1839. The larvae feed inside the leaves of birch, making a mine.
The Angoumois grain moth is a species of the Gelechiidae moth family, commonly referred to as the "rice grain moth". It is most abundant in the temperate or tropical climates of India, China, South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Egypt and Nigeria, with its location of origin being currently unknown. It is most commonly associated as a pest of field and stored cereal grains as they burrow within the kernel grains of crop plants, rendering them unusable for human consumption. By laying eggs between the grains themselves and hatching at a later time, often during the processing, transportation or storage stages, the moth can be transported to households or countries presently free of Angoumois grain moth infestations. Thus, constant protection against the Angoumois grain moth is required for grain up till the time of consumption.
Coleophora ibipennella is a moth of the case-bearer family (Coleophoridae). It was first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1849 and is found in Asia, Europe and North Africa. The larva feed within a pistol case on oak leaves and in the past was confused with Coleophora betulella, whose larva feed from a similar looking pistol case on birch leaves.
Phereoeca allutella, the household case-bearing moth, belongs to the subfamily Tineinae of the fungus moth family (Tineidae). It was first described by Hans Rebel in 1892. It is an occasional pest of furs, flannel and similar materials, and has been inadvertently introduced to many places it is not originally native to.
Monopis crocicapitella, the pale-backed clothes moth, is a moth of the family Tineidae described by James Brackenridge Clemens in 1859. It has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. It was first described from the eastern United States. It is particularly destructive of fabric and clothes.
Setomorpha is a monotypic moth genus in the family Tineidae described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1852. Its only species, Setomorpha rutella, the tropical tobacco moth, was described by the same author in the same year. It is a widely spread species that has been distributed by commerce over much of the warmer parts of Africa, Eurasia, Malaysia, Australia, many Pacific islands and North and South America.
Bucculatrix ulmella is a moth of the family Bucculatricidae. It is found in most of Europe, except the Iberian Peninsula, Slovenia and Bulgaria. It was first described in 1848 by Philipp Christoph Zeller.
Exaeretia allisella is a moth of the family Depressariidae. It is found in most of northern and central Europe, Siberia, the Russian Far East, Mongolia and northern and central China.
Rhathamictis perspersa is a moth of the family Incurvariidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1924. It occurs in New Zealand.
Scrobipalpa samadensis, the buck's-horn groundling, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe and Russia.
Psychoides verhuella is a moth of the family Tineidae found in Europe. It was first described in 1853, by Charles Théophile Bruand d'Uzelle from a specimen from Besançon, France. It is the type species of the genus Psychoides, also raised by Charles Bruand in 1853. The larvae feed on ferns.