''Ceratophaga vastella'', or the horn moth, belongs to the clothes moth family
Tineidae
Tineidae is a family of moths in the order Lepidoptera described by Pierre André Latreille in 1810. Collectively, they are known as fungus moths or tineid moths. The family contains considerably more than 3,000 species in more than 300 genera. ...
and is noted for its larva's ability to feed on
keratin
Keratin () is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as ''scleroproteins''. Alpha-keratin (α-keratin) is a type of keratin found in vertebrates. It is the key structural material making up scales, hair, nails, feathers, ho ...
from the horns and hooves of dead ungulates, and occasionally on dried fruit or mushrooms. Keratin, a protein which makes up skin, hair, nails and feathers, is extremely resistant to
proteolysis
Proteolysis is the breakdown of proteins into smaller polypeptides or amino acids. Uncatalysed, the hydrolysis of peptide bonds is extremely slow, taking hundreds of years. Proteolysis is typically catalysed by cellular enzymes called protease ...
by the enzymes from specialised micro-organisms such as fungi and bacteria.
''Ceratophaga vastella'' is widespread in the
Afrotropical realm
The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the island ...
. Thus far there are 16 described species in the genus, with 12 found in Africa, three in Asia and one, ''C. vicinella'', from the Americas, which feeds on the shells of ''
Gopherus polyphemus
The gopher tortoise (''Gopherus polyphemus'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide ...
'', a tortoise from the southeastern United States, but also feeds on the horns of cattle in the US.
Larvae are cream-coloured and thick-set, with brown head and tip of abdomen. Usually the larval cases are noticed on th surface of old horns The adult moth is a typical tineid, having a conspicuous tuft of yellow hair on the head. Other
Tineidae
Tineidae is a family of moths in the order Lepidoptera described by Pierre André Latreille in 1810. Collectively, they are known as fungus moths or tineid moths. The family contains considerably more than 3,000 species in more than 300 genera. ...
share ''C. vastella'' diet of keratin, dried animal hides and wool - ''C. ethadopa'' (Meyr.), ''
Monopis rejectella
''Monopis'' is a genus of the fungus moth family, Tineidae. Therein, it belongs to the nominate subfamily, Tineinae.
A typical feature of these moths is a semi-transparent pale spot near the middle of the forewings. There usually are contrastin ...
'' (Wlk.), ''
Tinea pellionella
''Tinea pellionella'', the case-bearing clothes moth, is a species of tineoid moth in the family Tineidae, the fungus moths. This species has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring nearly worldwide.Cheema, P. S. (1956).Studies on the bionomics o ...
'' and ''
Tineola bisselliella
''Tineola'' is a genus of moths the family Tineidae. There are two species, including the familiar common clothes moth (''T. bisselliella'').Thomas de Grey (1843–1919) suggested that the larvae of this species may occasionally be found in the horns of living animals.
Zeller and
Roland Trimen
Roland Trimen Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (29 October 1840 in London – 25 July 1916 in London) was a British-South African Natural history, naturalist, best known for ''South African Butterflies'' (1887–89), a collaborative work wi ...
, however, expressed their doubts about larvae feeding off the horn of a living animal and were supported in this view by Lieutenant Colonel the Hon. Wenman Coke, a soldier and hunter.
Thomas de Grey also wrote: "I have in my own collection a pair of horns of ''Kobus ellipsiprymnus'', which are bored by the larvae of this species, the substance of the horn itself being visibly perforated in several places up to one-fourth from the base". This is a clear suggestion that the larvae do not confine themselves to keratin, but will also venture into the bony part of the horn.''Natural History Review,'' vol. iii., 1856, p. 23 of the ''Proceedings of the Dublin Zoological Association'' /ref>
References
*Zeller, P. C. 1852a. ''Lepidoptera Microptera, quae J. A. Wahlberg in Caffrorum terra collegit''
*Don R. Davis, Smithsonian Institution (pers. comm.)