Tinea murariella

Checklist Number
12.0271 [B&F: 0247b]

Verification
Record requires retention of specimen until confirmed, and may require dissection. Consult with CMR if unsure

Classification

Family:Tineidae
Subfamily:Tineinae
Genus:Tinea
Species:murariella
Authority:Staudinger, 1859

Recorded infrequently through accidental importation in produce from southern Europe and unlikely to survive in the wild in British Isles. A female was found in a cargo of horses' hooves from Argentina in Glasgow docks in 1946 and larvae were found damaging a carpet in Hackney, east London in 1978. Not recorded in Hampshire or on the Isle of Wight to date. Wingspan 15-17 mm. Resembles T. lanella and T. flavescentella but yellower, and separated from darker and better marked T. translucens with certainty only by dissection of the genitalia. Larva feeds on hair, sheep's wool, animal hides and animal fur; no evidence of breeding in the UK.