Hofmannophila pseudospretella
Encyclopedia
The Brown House Moth is a species
of the concealer moth family
(Oecophoridae), wherein it belongs to subfamily Oecophorinae
. It is the only known member of its genus
Hofmannophila, and as is often the case for such monotypic
taxa, the genus' distinctness remains to be conclusively proven. However that may be, it seems to be a close relative of Borkhausenia
.
Probably originally native to Asia
, the synanthropic Brown House Moth has been introduced to other regions by human activity and is found almost worldwide today. It is often considered a pest due to the feeding activity of its caterpillar
s.
The wingspan
is 15–26 mm. The adults fly all year round.
The caterpillars feed on organic detritus
that accumulates indoors, e.g. behind skirting boards and other similar places. Recorded foodstuffs are for example cereal
s (including maize
, oatmeal
, pearl barley
and rice
) and other seed
s, potato
es, fur
s and dog biscuits.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of the concealer moth family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Oecophoridae), wherein it belongs to subfamily Oecophorinae
Oecophorinae
| image = Philobota1.jpg| image_width = 250px| image_caption = Adult of Philobota arabella or a related species,Aranda | regnum = Animalia| phylum = Arthropoda| classis = Insecta| ordo = Lepidoptera| subordo = Glossata| infraordo = Heteroneura...
. It is the only known member of its genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Hofmannophila, and as is often the case for such monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
taxa, the genus' distinctness remains to be conclusively proven. However that may be, it seems to be a close relative of Borkhausenia
Borkhausenia
Borkhausenia is a genus of the concealer moth family . Among these, it belongs to subfamily Oecophorinae, wherein it is probably closely related to Hofmannophila . In the past, several other Oecophoridae have been included in Borkhausenia, as well as a few even more distant members of the...
.
Probably originally native to Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, the synanthropic Brown House Moth has been introduced to other regions by human activity and is found almost worldwide today. It is often considered a pest due to the feeding activity of its caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 15–26 mm. The adults fly all year round.
The caterpillars feed on organic detritus
Detritus
Detritus is a biological term used to describe dead or waste organic material.Detritus may also refer to:* Detritus , a geological term used to describe the particles of rock produced by weathering...
that accumulates indoors, e.g. behind skirting boards and other similar places. Recorded foodstuffs are for example cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s (including maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, oatmeal
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is ground oat groats , or a porridge made from oats . Oatmeal can also be ground oat, steel-cut oats, crushed oats, or rolled oats....
, pearl barley
Pearl barley
Pearl barley is barley processed to remove its hull and bran. Barley must have its fibrous outer hull removed before it can be eaten; pearl barley is taken a step further, polished to remove the nutritious bran layer....
and rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
) and other seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s, potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es, fur
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
s and dog biscuits.