Monopis laevigella

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Monopis laevigella
Monopis laevigella (mounted).jpg
Adult specimen
Tinea laevigella.jpg
Adult specimen
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tineidae
Genus: Monopis
Species:
M. laevigella
Binomial name
Monopis laevigella
Synonyms

Numerous, see text

Monopis laevigella, the skin moth, is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It is (under its junior synonym Tinea rusticella) the type species of the genus Monopis and its junior objective synonym Hyalospila. As with the common clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella), earlier authors frequently misapplied the name Tinea vestianella to the present species. [1]

Contents

It is not uncommon all across western Palearctic as well as in North America [2] . It has not been recorded in Slovenia yet, but given that it occurs in all neighboring countries, it probably has simply been overlooked. Its absence from some Mediterranean islands may be genuine however. [3]

Description and ecology

The adults of this small moth have a wingspan of 13–20 mm. On the wing around May to September (depending on the location), they are nocturnal and come out at dusk. They have dark brown forewings with a white fringe and the translucent center spot characteristic for the genus Monopis , but lack the white markings adjacent to it found in many congeners. The hindwings are lighter brown-grey; they are surrounded by a long-haired fringe, as usual for fungus moths and relatives. The body is dark brown, and the head bears a tuft of reddish-ochre hair. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Two generations per year may occur as far north as southern England. Otherwise, the caterpillar larvae are found in the colder months only. They generally feed on animal detritus. They have been recorded from dried-out animal carcasses, in the debris of bird nests and on owl pellets. They have also been found to eat feathers, furs, hairs, carpets, rags and rotted fabrics. [9]

Synonyms

Invalid scientific names (junior synonyms and others) of the skin moth are: [10]

Blabophanes semispilotella has been believed to refer to the same animal as M. weaverella , but the latter seems to be a distinct species, while the former is not even a subspecies of M. laevigella but merely a chance form. [11]

Footnotes

  1. Pitkin & Jenkins (2004), ABRS (2008), Robinson [2010]
  2. Boone, Mike. "Monopis laevigella – ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)". Moth Photographers Group at the Mississippi Entomological Museum at the Mississippi State University.
  3. FE (2009), Kimber [2010]
  4. Kimber [2010]
  5. Reinhard Gaedike, 2019 Tineidae II : Myrmecozelinae, Perissomasticinae, Tineinae, Hieroxestinae, Teichobiinae and Stathmopolitinae Microlepidoptera of Europe, vol. 9. Leiden : Brill
  6. Pelham-Clinton E.C., 1985.Tineidae. In: The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland (Heath J & Emmet AM, eds) 2: 152-207.
  7. Reinhard Gaedike, 2019 Tineidae II : Myrmecozelinae, Perissomasticinae, Tineinae, Hieroxestinae, Teichobiinae and Stathmopolitinae Microlepidoptera of Europe, vol. 9. Leiden : Brill
  8. 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
  9. Grabe (1942), Kimber [2010]
  10. Robinson [2010]
  11. Robinson [2010]

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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.

<i>Tineola bisselliella</i> Species of moth

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. It and a number of closely-related species are together known as the clothes moths due to their role as pests in human households. The specific name is commonly misspelled biselliella – for example by G. A. W. Herrich-Schäffer, when he established Tineola in 1853.

<i>Monopis obviella</i> Species of moth

Monopis obviella is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It is the type species of Blabophanes, today treated as a junior synonym of the genus Monopis. M. crocicapitella was only separated from the present species in 1859, and is still frequently confused with it even by rather recent sources.

<i>Nemapogon granella</i> Species of moth

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carpet moth</span> Species of moth

Trichophaga tapetzella, the tapestry moth or carpet moth, is a moth of the family Tineidae, commonly referred to as fungus moths. It is found worldwide.

<i>Triaxomera parasitella</i> Species of moth

Triaxomera parasitella is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the subfamily Nemapogoninae. It is widespread and common in much of western Eurasia, but seems to be absent from some more outlying regions, such as Portugal and the eastern Baltic, Ireland and Iceland. It has also not been recorded from Slovenia but given that it is found in neighboring countries, it may well occur there unnoticed. Recently, the species was recorded from British Columbia. Generally, it is a moth of warm temperate regions, e.g. in Great Britain it is only a rare and scarce species from the English Midlands northwards.

<i>Tinea semifulvella</i> Species of moth

Tinea semifulvella is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It is widespread and common in much of the western Palearctic, but seems to be absent from Portugal and the Balkans as well as the outlying islands. The nocturnal adults are on the wing around May to September, depending on the location, and are easily attracted to light sources.

<i>Tinea pellionella</i> Species of moth

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.

<i>Niditinea fuscella</i> Species of moth

The brown-dotted clothes moth is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It is the type species of its genus Niditinea.

<i>Monopis</i> Genus of moths

Monopis is a genus of the fungus moth family, Tineidae. Therein, it belongs to the nominate subfamily, Tineinae.

<i>Tinea trinotella</i> Species of moth

Tinea trinotella is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It was once used as type species of a distinct genus Acedes, but this is synonymized today with Tinea, the type genus of Tineinae, Tineidae and the superfamily Tineoidea.

<i>Tinea</i> (moth) Genus of moths

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<i>Monopis crocicapitella</i> Species of moth

Monopis crocicapitella, the pale-backed clothes moth, or the bird-nest 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.

<i>Tinea pallescentella</i> Species of moth

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<i>Tinea svenssoni</i> Species of moth

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<i>Psychoides filicivora</i> Species of moth

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<i>Psychoides verhuella</i> Species of moth

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.

<i>Tinea columbariella</i> Species of moth

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Tinea flavescentella is a species of moth belonging to the family Tineidae. It is native to Western Europe. The wingspan is 8–17 mm. Head with pale yellow hair tuts. Antennae just over half the front wing length. The forewings are greyish yellow with two or three grey-brown spots and a faint hyaline spot at the base. Hindwings grey. Certain identification requires examination of the genitalia.

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References