Biology of clothes moth, Phereoeca uterella Walsingham (Lepidoptera: Tineidae) and the preference analysis of their case-making materials
Date Issued
2009
Date
2009
Author(s)
Chen, Po-Yen
Abstract
The name of “Clothes Moths” is generally referred to several different genera in the family Tineidae, such as Tineola, Phereoeca, Praeacedes and Sphecioses. Some of them can use their silk and the materials they collected to build a portable case, and usually called the household casebearers or plaster bagworms. Phereoeca uterella is the most common household clothes moth species in Taiwan. According to our general survey throughout Taiwan, we found that there are at least three clothes moth species. They have similar behavior of building the portable cases, but their case shapes are obviously different. Due to the fact that the different instar larvae have different size of mouthpart, the particle of the materials for building their cases are also different. Their cases will be enlarged when the larvae grow, and the morphology of their cases may show a pattern of concentric circles. We believe this phenomenon could also record the changes of the circumstances the larvae lived. In this study, we focus on the clothes moth’s case-making behaviors and the materials collected by the larvae from their surroundings. We found different environments could cause the larvae choosing different case-making materials. To analyze the preference of their case-making materials, randomly selected materials were supplied for the larvae. To understand the biology and case-making behavior of clothes moths, the related environmental parameters, such as humidity, illumination, wind velocity and elevation in the collecting sites were also recorded. In addition, their case shapes, male genitalia, case-building behavior and the nature enemies were also described for further references. Although sand is the most common material the clothes moth adopted for their casing, yet if different material offered in their living environments, such as saw dust or feces, they could also use them randomly as their case-making materials. So far, we know the larvae can use many different kinds of materials to build their cases. Previous studies have recorded some Tineidae larvae found on mammal’s corpses at the late dry decay stages. Thus, connecting the previously mentioned case-making behaviors of clothes moth to the forensic entomology may be a possible way to provide some evidences in further describing the environment of the crime scene.
Subjects
clothes moth
Tineidae
biology
case-making behavior
forensic entomology
SDGs
Type
thesis
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