''Ephestia elutella'', the cacao moth, tobacco moth or warehouse moth, is a small

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Pyralidae The Pyralidae, commonly called pyralid moths, snout moths or grass moths, are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many (particularly older) classifications, the grass moths (Crambidae) are included in the Pyralida ...

. It is probably native to Europe, but has been transported widely, even to Australia. A subspecies is ''E. e. pterogrisella''. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...

is 14–20 mm. This moth flies throughout the warmer months, e.g. from the end of April to October in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Infestation

The caterpillars of ''Ephestia elutella'' are often considered a pest, as they feed on dry plant produce, such as

cocoa bean The cocoa bean (technically cocoa seed) or simply cocoa (), also called the cacao bean (technically cacao seed) or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substance ...

s and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, as well as cereals and

dried fruit Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying, or through the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators. Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating back to th ...

and

nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Co ...

s. Less usual foods include dried-out meat and animal carcasses, specimens in

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

collections, and dry

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

Tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

and its related products can be infested by '' Lasioderma serricorne'' (tobacco beetle) and ''Ephestia elutella'', which are the most widespread and damaging parasites to the

tobacco industry The tobacco industry comprises those persons and companies who are engaged in the growth, preparation for sale, shipment, advertisement, and distribution of tobacco and tobacco-related products. It is a global industry; tobacco can grow in any ...

. Infestation can range from the tobacco cultivated in the fields to the leaves used for manufacturing cigars,

cigarillo A cigarillo (from Spanish ''cigarrillo'', meaning "cigarette", in turn from ''cigarro'' ("cigar") + ''-illo'' (diminutive suffix), pronounced in parts of Latin America or in Spain) is a short, narrow cigar. Unlike cigarettes, cigarillos are wr ...

s, cigarettes, etc.

Taxonomy

This

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

has been known under a number of junior synonyms:See references in Savela (2009) * ''Ephestia amarella'' Dyar, 1904 * ''Ephestia icosiella'' Ragonot, 1888 * ''Ephestia infumatella'' Ragonot, 1887 * ''Ephestia roxburghi'' (''

lapsus In philology, a lapsus (Latin for "lapse, slip, error") is an involuntary mistake made while writing or speaking. Investigations In 1895 an investigation into verbal slips was undertaken by a philologist and a psychologist, Rudolf Meringer and ...

'') * ''Ephestia roxburghii'' Gregson, 1873 * ''Ephestia roxburgii'' (''lapsus'') * ''Ephestia uniformata'' Dufrane, 1942 (

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

) * ''Homoeosoma affusella'' Ragonot, 1888 * ''Hyphantidium sericarium'' Scott, 1859 * ''Phycis angusta'' (Haworth, 1811) * ''Phycis elutea'' Haworth, 1811; (unjustified emendation) * ''Phycis rufa'' Haworth, 1811 * ''Phycis semirufa'' Haworth, 1811 * ''Tinea elutella'' Hübner, 1796

Footnotes

References

* *

External links

Lepidoptera of BelgiumCacao moth on UKMoths
Phycitini Household pest insects Moths described in 1796 Invertebrates of the Arabian Peninsula Moths of Japan Moths of Europe Moths of New Zealand Insects of Turkey Insects of Iceland {{Phycitini-stub