Monopis crocicapitella

Monopis crocicapitella, the pale-backed clothes moth, is a moth of the family Tineidae described by James Brackenridge Clemens in 1859.[1] It has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. It was first described from the eastern United States. It is particularly destructive of fabric and clothes. A study undertaken on eleven English Heritage properties over several years before the winter of 2017-2018, showed that the number of moths captured in traps increased significantly during the study period.[2]

Monopis crocicapitella
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tineidae
Genus: Monopis
Species:
M. crocicapitella
Binomial name
Monopis crocicapitella
(Clemens, 1859)
Synonyms
  • Tinea crocicapitella Clemens, 1859
  • Tinea amandatella Walker, 1863
  • Monopis cecconii Turati, 1919
  • Monopis dobrogica Georgesco, 1964
  • Blabophanes heringi Richardson, 1893
  • Tinea hyalinella Staudinger, 1870
  • Blabophanes lombardica Hering, 1889
  • Amydria prometopias Gyen, 1913
  • Blabophanes ptilophaga Enderlein, 1909

The wingspan is 10–16 mm. It is similar to Monopis obviella, but less distinctly-marked, with a darker dorsal streak and more speckled forewing. The ground colour of the hindwing is whitish grey or pale grey not dark with a slight purple tinge as in M. obviella.In western Europe, adults are on wing from June to October.

The larvae feed on dried animal and vegetable refuse. They have been found in debris, in a dead rat, pigeon guano, bird's nests, and stored products of vegetable origin such as flour, corn and felt. They also feed on textiles, as the species' common name implies, and are particularly destructive.[2]

Monopis crocicapitella on clothing
Male genitalia of Monopis crocicapitella. See the image description for characters separating M. crocicapitella from Monopis obviella.

References
  1. "Monopis crocicapitella (Pale-backed Clothes Moth) - Norfolk Micro Moths - The micro moths of Norfolk". Norfolk Moths. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  2. Maev Kennedy (22 April 2018). "How to avoid clothes moths: live in the east Midlands". The Observer. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  • Petersen, G., 1957: Die Genitalien der paläarktischen Tineiden (Lepidoptera: Tineidae). Beiträge zur Entomologie 7 (1/2): 55-176.


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