TINEID MOTH

any member of the cosmopolitan insect family Tineidae (order Lepidoptera), including several economically important clothes-moth species. Tineid moths generally have slender, elongated, fringed wings with a spread of 12 to 25 mm (1/2 to 1 inch) and dull, mottled coloration. They have erect scales or hairs on their heads and long antennae. The larvae are scavengers, feeding chiefly on fungi or things of animal origin. Discovered in early Tertiary deposits (about 50 million years old), tineid fossil remains probably represent some of the earliest lepidopteran forms. The pale larvae of the clothes moth infest woolens, furs, and other animal products. Well-known species include the webbing clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella), the casemaking clothes moth (Tinea pellionella), and the carpet, tapestry, or white-tip clothes moth (Trichophaga tapetzella). The larvae of the casemaking clothes moth use silk and fragments of food to construct a small, flat, oval case in which the larvae live and pupate. Clothes-moth larvae also attack synthetic or plant-fibre fabrics soiled with grease, sweat, or other animal products. Rubbish removal, prestorage cleaning, and the use of chemicals are commonly used methods of control. The adult moths do not feed.