Phereoeca uterella

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Phereoeca uterella
Phereoeca uterella.jpg
Phereoeca uterella1.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tineidae
Genus: Phereoeca
Species:
P. uterella
Binomial name
Phereoeca uterella
(Walsingham, 1897)
Synonyms
  • Phereoeca dubitatrix
  • Phereoeca walsinghami
  • Tineola uterellaWalsingham, 1897
  • Tinea barystictaMeyrick, 1927 (but see text)
  • Tinea dubitatrixMeyrick, 1932
  • Tineola oblitescensMeyrick, 1924
  • Tinea pachyspilaMeyrick, 1905 (but see text)
  • Phereoeca postulataGozmány, 1967
  • Tineola walsinghamiBusck, 1934

Phereoeca uterella, known by the vernacular names plaster bagworm [lower-alpha 1] and household casebearer [lower-alpha 2] , is a moth species in family Tineidae. [3] [1] It occurs in tropical climates, where it is common in houses, and is presumed native to the Neotropical realm. [4] In the Americas, it has been recorded from Brazil, Guyana, and the southern United States [1] as well as the Virgin Islands and Trinidad, [4] and tentatively identified from Tobago. [4]

Contents

As with other species of its genus, Phereoeca uterella has been the subject of taxonomical confusion, [4] [5] some of which is not yet fully resolved. The Sri Lankan case-bearing moth described as Tinea pachyspila and subsequently transferred to genus Phereoeca may either be considered to be this species, [3] or to instead be Phereoeca allutella . [6] Similarly, the Ugandan case-bearing moth originally described as Tinea barysticta may either be considered Phereoeca uterella [7] [5] or a valid species (as Phereoeca barysticta). [8]

Description

Larval case of Phereoeca uterella Case-bearing tineid Pantanal.jpg
Larval case of Phereoeca uterella

The adult female has a wingspan of up to 13 mm. The forewings are gray with distinct dark spots and the plain hindwings are fringed with long gray hairs. The male is smaller (wingspan up to 9 mm) and more slender with less distinct markings. The reduced mouthparts suggest this species does not feed as an adult. The female lays up to 200 tiny pale blue eggs in sheltered places.

The larva constructs a protective case from silk and camouflages it with other materials such as soil, sand and insect droppings. When the larva is fully grown, this case is up to 14 mm long (twice the length of the animal) and is noticeably thickened in the middle so that it rather resembles a pumpkin seed. This shape allows the animal to turn around inside the case (the case has openings at both ends, both used by the head of the animal). Pupation occurs within the case.

The main food source for this species appears to be silk, especially spider webs, but also silk produced by other arthropods including discarded cases from the same species. Larvae also feed on dander and fallen human hair. Wool (but not cotton) is also a favoured food and the species can be a household pest.

Notes

  1. ↑ the term "bagworm" more properly refers to moths of family Psychidae, of which this species is not part [1]
  2. ↑ a name also used to refer to the closely related Phereoeca allutella [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagworm moth</span> Family of moths known as Psychidae

The Psychidae are a family of the Lepidoptera. The bagworm family is fairly small, with about 1,350 species described. Bagworm species are found globally, with some, such as the snailcase bagworm, in modern times settling continents where they are not native.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tineidae</span> Family of moths

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>Phereoeca</i> Genus of moths

Phereoeca is a genus of moths belonging to the family Tineidae. The larvae of these moths build protective silk cases and some are moderate household pests.

<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.

Cimitra is a genus of moths belonging to the family of Tineidae. Most species of this genus are found in Africa but Cimitra sechusella Walker, 1864 is found in Southeast Asia.

Hapsiferona is a genus of moths belonging to the family Tineidae.

Afrocelestis is a genus of moths belonging to the family Tineidae.

Nannotinea is a genus of moths belonging to the family Tineidae.

<i>Edosa</i> Genus of moths

Edosa is a genus of moths belonging to the family Tineidae.

Crypsithyris is a genus of moths belonging to the family Tineidae.

Hilaroptera is a genus of moths belonging to the family Tineidae. It contains only one species, Hilaroptera viettei, which is found in Madagascar.

<i>Oxymachaeris</i> Genus of moths

Oxymachaeris is a genus of moths belonging to the family Tineidae.

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.

<i>Ceratophaga vastella</i> Species of moth

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tineinae</span> Subfamily of moths

The Tineinae are a subfamily of moths of the family Tineidae.

Scalmatica insularis is a moth of the family Tineidae. It was described by Hungarian entomologist László Anthony Gozmány in 1969 and is found in eastern Madagascar.

Afrocelestis evertata is a moth of the family Tineidae. It was described by Hungarian entomologist László Anthony Gozmány in 1965 and is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Villanueva-Jiménez, Juan A.; Fasulo, Thomas R. "household casebearer - Phereoeca uterella Walsingham". Featured Creatures. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  2. ↑ Scholtz, Clarke; Scholtz, Jenny; Klerk, Hennie de (10 March 2020). Pollinators, Predators & Parasites. Penguin Random House South Africa. ISBN   978-1-77584-632-1 . Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 Heppner, J. B. (1 September 2003). "Notes on the Plaster Bagworm, Phereoeca uterella, in Florida (Lepidoptera: Tineidae)". Holarctic Lepidoptera: 31–32. ISSN   1070-4140 . Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Cock, Matthew J.W. (2021). "New records of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) from Tobago, W.I." Living World, Journal of the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  5. 1 2 Robinson, G. S.; Nielsen, E. S. (1 January 1993). Tineid Genera of Australia (Lepidoptera). Csiro Publishing. Chapter Five: Australian Tineid Genera: 17. Phereoeca. ISBN   978-0-643-10580-5 . Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  6. ↑ De Prins, Jurate; De Prins, Willy. "Phereoeca pachyspila (sensu Meyrick, 1911)". AfroMoths, online database of Afrotropical moth species (Lepidoptera). Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "300141.00 – 0390 Phereoeca uterella (Walsingham, 1897) - Household Casebearer". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  8. ↑ De Prins, Jurate; De Prins, Willy. "Phereoeca barysticta (Meyrick, 1927)". AfroMoths, online database of Afrotropical moth species (Lepidoptera). Retrieved 18 January 2024.


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