Sloth moth
Encyclopedia
Sloth moth is a generic term used to refer to coprophagous 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...

s which have evolved to exclusively inhabit the fur of sloth
Sloth
Sloths are the six species of medium-sized mammals belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae , part of the order Pilosa and therefore related to armadillos and anteaters, which sport a similar set of specialized claws.They are arboreal residents of the jungles of Central and South...

s and to use sloth dung as a substrate for the early stages of reproduction.

Certain lepidopteran moths snout moth family Pyralidae
Pyralidae
The Pyralidae or snout moths are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many classifications, the grass moths are included in the Pyralidae as a subfamily, making the combined group one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera...

 (namely subfamily Chrysauginae
Chrysauginae
The Chrysauginae are a subfamily of snout moths . They are primarily neotropical and include about 400 described species.-Description and ecology:...

) have evolved to inhabit sloth fur exclusively. Typically, sloth moths follow a life-style broadly on the lines of Cryptoses choloepi
Cryptoses choloepi
Cryptoses choloepi is a sloth moth in the snout moth family that lives exclusively in the fur of sloths, mammals found in South and Central America....

, a moth in the snout moth
Pyralidae
The Pyralidae or snout moths are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many classifications, the grass moths are included in the Pyralidae as a subfamily, making the combined group one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera...

 family that lives exclusively in the fur of the Brown three-toed sloth Bradypus variegatus infuscatus. Adult female moths leave the fur of the sloth to lay eggs in the sloth droppings when the sloth descends, once a week, to the forest floor to defecate. The larvae of Cryptoses choloepi live in the dung and newly emerged moths later fly from the dung pile into the forest canopy to find a host sloth.

Chrysauginae moths, such as Cryptoses spp., spend their lives as adults in the fur of sloths, particularly the three-toed species, except when the sloths went to defecate and females flew to the sloth dung to oviposit. An imbalance in population sex ratios favouring males has been noticed and surmised as female moths not making it back to host sloths after ovipositing.

Sloth moths are considered to get nutrients from the secretions of the sloths' skin and/or the algae present on the fur as well as protection from avian predators.

Some three-toed sloths have been recorded carrying more than 120 moths in the fur of an individual sloth. Two-toed sloths are recorded as harbouring lower populations. Several different moth species may coexist on the same animal.

Lepidopterans belonging to the coprophagous guild that are specialised to live around sloths include:
  • Bradipodicola hahneli
    Bradipodicola hahneli
    Bradypodicola hahneli is a sloth moth in the Pyralidae family that lives exclusively in the fur of the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth , a three-toed sloth found in South America. It is the only species of the Bradypodicola genus.The three-toed sloth’s fur forms a micro-ecozone inhabited by green...

  • Cryptoses choloepi
    Cryptoses choloepi
    Cryptoses choloepi is a sloth moth in the snout moth family that lives exclusively in the fur of sloths, mammals found in South and Central America....

  • Cryptoses waagei
    Cryptoses waagei
    Cryptoses waagei is a species of snout moths in the genus Cryptoses. It was described by Bradley in 1982. It is found in Brazil.The wingspan is 13-15 mm, with the female usually larger than the male...

  • Cryptoses rufipictus
    Cryptoses rufipictus
    Cryptoses rufipictus is a species of snout moths in the genus Cryptoses. It was described by Bradley in 1982, and is known from French Guiana and Brazil....

  • Bradyphila garbei
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