Local inside houses and farm buildings throughout much of the British Isles, more numerous in the north. In Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight surprisingly rare: there are a few old records from the Isle of Wight, and just one from north Hampshire, but regular in a few locations in south Hampshire until recent years; since the turn of the 21st century it appears to have become very scarce and all records submitted require a specimen or very good photograph for acceptance. Wingspan 12-25 mm. Small weakly marked specimens might be mistaken for one of the
Case-bearing Clothes Moth T. pellionella group but can always be distinguished by the plical streak of the forewing (MBGBI Vol 2). Larva feeds on woollen materials, fur, feathers and hair.