Niditinea fuscella
Encyclopedia
The Brown-dotted Clothes Moth (Niditinea fuscella) 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 fuscipunctella) the type species
of its genus Niditinea
.
It is widespread and common in much of western Eurasia
(except for outlying islands, e.g. Iceland
, and cold regions such as the far north of Scotland
), but has also been introduced elsewhere (e.g. Australia
). The adult moths are on the wing around May to September, depending on the location; they are not fond of bright daylight and will only come out in the late afternoon.
Adults of this small moth
have a wingspan of 14 mm. They are of a rather dull coloration, with brown-grey forewings that bear three large blackish-brown dots each. The hindwings are a silvery white; they are surrounded by a long-haired fringe, as usual for fungus moths and relatives. The body is dull brown, and the head bears a tuft of reddish-brown hair.
The caterpillar
s feed on dry animal and plant remains. Despite the species' common name, they are rarely recorded as a pest of clothing
. Though they will eat discarded wool
and similar fabric
s, they are more commonly found in bird nest
s – particularly of Chicken
(Gallus gallus domesticus), Domestic Pigeon
(Columba livia domestica), swallow
s (Hirundinidae) and woodpecker
s (Picidae) –, where they feed on shed feather
s and feces
. Less usual foodstuffs of this species are dry pea
s and dried fruit
, bran
, dry rose
flowers, the dead beetles in Mealworm
(Tenebrio molitor) cultures and even pigskin
bookbinding
s.
N. spretella is sometimes still considered a distinct species, but most recent authors include it here.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Tineidae), and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It is (under its junior synonym Tinea fuscipunctella) the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of its genus Niditinea
Niditinea
Niditinea is a genus of the fungus moth family, Tineidae. Therein, it belongs to the nominate subfamily, Tineinae.-Species:The 12 or 13 species currently placed in Niditinea are:* Niditinea baryspilas Niditinea is a genus of the fungus moth family, Tineidae. Therein, it belongs to the nominate...
.
It is widespread and common in much of western Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
(except for outlying islands, e.g. Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, and cold regions such as the far north of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
), but has also been introduced elsewhere (e.g. Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
). The adult moths are on the wing around May to September, depending on the location; they are not fond of bright daylight and will only come out in the late afternoon.
Adults of this small moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
have a wingspan of 14 mm. They are of a rather dull coloration, with brown-grey forewings that bear three large blackish-brown dots each. The hindwings are a silvery white; they are surrounded by a long-haired fringe, as usual for fungus moths and relatives. The body is dull brown, and the head bears a tuft of reddish-brown hair.
The caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s feed on dry animal and plant remains. Despite the species' common name, they are rarely recorded as a pest of clothing
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
. Though they will eat discarded wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and similar fabric
Fabric
A fabric is a textile material, short for "textile fabric".Fabric may also refer to:*Fabric , the spatial and geometric configuration of elements within a rock*Fabric , a nightclub in London, England...
s, they are more commonly found in bird nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
s – particularly of Chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
(Gallus gallus domesticus), Domestic Pigeon
Domestic Pigeon
The Domestic Pigeon was derived from the Rock Pigeon. The Rock Pigeon is the world's oldest domesticated bird. Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets mention the domestication of pigeons more than 5,000 years ago, as do Egyptian hieroglyphics.Research suggests that domestication of pigeons was as early as...
(Columba livia domestica), swallow
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
s (Hirundinidae) and woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s (Picidae) –, where they feed on shed feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s and feces
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
. Less usual foodstuffs of this species are dry pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
s and dried fruit
Dried fruit
Dried fruit is fruit where the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying, or through the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators. Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating back to the fourth millennium BC in Mesopotamia, and is prized...
, bran
Bran
Bran is the hard outer layer of grain and consists of combined aleurone and pericarp. Along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, and is often produced as a by-product of milling in the production of refined grains. When bran is removed from grains, the grains lose a portion of their...
, dry rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
flowers, the dead beetles in Mealworm
Mealworm
Mealworms are the larval form of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle. Like all holometabolic insects, they go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult...
(Tenebrio molitor) cultures and even pigskin
Pigskin
Pigskin may refer to:*Leather made from a pig's skin*Football *Pork rinds*Pigskin 621 A.D., an arcade game...
bookbinding
Bookbinding
Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. It usually involves attaching covers to the resulting text-block.-Origins of the book:...
s.
Synonyms
Invalid scientific names (junior synonyms and others) of the Brown-dotted Clothes Moth are:- Niditinea frigidella (Packard, 1867)
- Niditinea fuscipunctella (Haworth, 1828)
- Niditinea griseella (Chambers, 1873)
- Niditinea ignotella (Walker, 1864) (non Walker 1863: preoccupied)
- Niditinea nubilipennella (Clemens, 1859)
- Niditinea spretella (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
- Oecophora frigidella Packard, 1867
- Tinea abligatella Walker, 1863
- Tinea crinitella Schrank, 1802
- Tinea distans Gozmány, 1959
- Tinea eurinella Zagulajev, 1952
- Tinea fuscella Linnaeus, 1758
- Tinea fuscipunctella Haworth, 1828
- Tinea griseella Chambers, 1873
- Tinea ignotellaCrypsithyrodes concolorellaCrypsithyrodes concolorella is a moth of the Tineidae family. It has been recorded from Australia, French Polynesia, the Seychelles, Fiji, Hawaii, Java, Rennell Island, the Caroline Islands and Malaya....
Walker, 1864 (non Walker 1863: preoccupied) - Tinea nubilipennella Clemens, 1859
- Tinea spretella Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
N. spretella is sometimes still considered a distinct species, but most recent authors include it here.