Biology Dept. / Entomology Seminar

1. University Of SULAIMANI
College Of Science
Department: BIOLOGY
Practical Entomology
Clothes Moths
Peshawa Yasin Second stage Group –B -

3. Overview
• Clothes Moth, common name for any of
several related moth species that in the larval
stage eat cotton, silk, wool and other natural
fibers, damaging clothes, carpets, furs, and
fabrics.
• The most common species is the webbing
clothes moth, and the case-making clothes
moth.

4. Classification:
 Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tineidae
Genus: Tineola
Species: T. bisselliella
Clothes Moth

5. Order: Lepidoptera - Butterflies and Moths
• They have two pairs of wings covered with tiny
scales.
• Mouthpart is siphoning (feed on nectar).
• The Lepidoptera is one of the two or three largest
orders of insects, with an estimated (174,250)
named species (2007).
• Butterflies and moths are among the best-known
insects of this order.
• Like other holometabolous insects, lepidopterans
pass through egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages.

8. Family: Tineidae - Clothes Moths
• They lack bipectination of the male antennae.
• Proboscis is short (or absent).
• The cosmopolitan Tineidae (3000 species) (2005)
includes the clothes moths Tineola biselliella and a
case-bearing species Tinea pellionella .
• Some are capable of digesting wool, including several
cosmopolitan species that feed on woolen clothes
and other manmade products. Others are primarily
fungus-feeders.

10. Clothes moth
Webbing: Tineola bisselliella Case-Making: Tinea pellionella
• It is uniformly pale golden • Slightly darker brown .
in color.
• There are no spots present. • Three dark spots on each
front wing.
• The larva spins silk which it • The larva spins a cocoon
leaves as a tunnel or sheet around itself, then uses it to
of webbing across the pupate.
attached material.

11. Clothes moth
Webbing: Tineola bisselliella Case-Making: Tinea pellionella

12. Webbing Clothes Moth
Tineola bisselliella (Hummel)

13. Webbing Clothes Moth
Tineola bisselliella (Hummel)

14. Holometabolous Metamorphosis

15. Tineola bisselliella:
• Eggs can be laid singly or in groups by both
virgin and mated females.
• Size: 0.5mm long and 0.3mm wide.
• The long soft ovipositor is extended and inserted into
a space to test its suitability before laying an egg,
usually among the fibers of fabric or particles of other
food materials.
• Eggs are white,
soft and circular
in shape.

16. Tineola bisselliella:
• Polypod larva.
• Color: Yellowish brown head, with
white body.
• Size: When fully grown, it reaches
8mm long and 2mm broad.
• The mouth parts are modified for biting
food and for spinning silk.
• There are no ocelli
present on the head.

17. Tineola bisselliella:
 Pupa has coccon.
 The size of the pupa is usually in the range 6mm in
length and 1mm wide.
 The tips of the appendages are free from the body.
 The posterior abdominal segments are mobile and
will wave about when
touched.

18. Tineola bisselliella:
• Size: 5 to 8mm with a
wingspan of 9-16 mm.
• Antennae: Filiform.
• All legs are walking leg.
• Wings are covered with
scales (Scaly wing).
• Adults do not feed, but
they fly to find food
materials on which they
lay 40 to 150 eggs.

19. Tineola bisselliella:
• Upright tuft of hairs on the
head is coppery to reddish-
gold color.
• Males are the fliers,
whereas females walk.
▫ Adults are negatively
phototactic and will usually
fly or crawl to a darkened
area to hide away from light
as rapidly as possible.

24. • Clothing Moth Traps
can help.
• Vacuuming is another method
since moths like to hide in
carpeting and baseboards.
• Using Insecticide Sprays.

25. • Books:
 Neil A. Campbell, and Jane B. Reece, (2008). Biology. 8th ed. Pearson
Benjamin Cummings, Inc. USA. 1465 pp.
 Vincent H. Resh, Ring t. Cardé, (2003). Encyclopedia of Insects. 1st ed. Elsevier
Science. USA. 1266 pp.
 Gillott, Cedric. (2005). Entomology. 3rd ed. Springer, Netherlands. 831 pp.
 Arthur V. Evans, Rosser W. Garrison, (2003).Grzimek’s Animal Life
Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. 3rd vol. Schlager group Inc. Canada. 472 pp.
• Article:
 P.D. Cox, D.B. Pinniger. (2007). Biology, behaviour and environmentally
sustainable control of Tineola bisselliella. Stored Products Research, 43: 2–
32.
• Website:
 Colorado state university extensions:
 http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05599.pdf