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| Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Lepidoptera |
Tinaeidae, Phycidae; including Ochsenheimeriidae
Adults relatively long-bodied; relatively slender-bodied (wingspan more than 15 times the thoracic width) to medium built (wingspan more than 8 and less than 15 times the thoracic width); wings in repose packed with the forewings directed backwards to cover hindwings and abdomen.
Head rough (hair-scaled). Antennae of medium length to very long; extending to about 0.3–1.4 times the length of the forewing. Antennae of males bipectinate, or dentate, or simple (usually); non-ciliate, or simply-ciliate, or pubescent. The antennal scape with a pecten (usually), or without a pecten; not forming an ‘eye cap’ (always?). Ocelli absent. Chaetosemata absent. Maxillary palps well developed, or much reduced; when well developed 4 segmented; not folded. Labial palps porrect; 3 segmented. Proboscis absent.
Wingspan 10–28 mm; 9–16 times the thoracic width. Forewings without up- or down-turned apices when the insect is at rest (by contrast with Lyonetiidae); narrow; 2.9–4.4 times as long as wide. Tornus weakly defined to undetectable. The outer margin convexly curved; forewings apically blunt; forewings predominantly shining-metallic, or neither shining-metallic nor with shining metallic markings (mostly). Hindwings neither unusually narrow-elongate nor especially long-fringed; ovate-lanceolate. The fringe of the hindwings 0.5–1 times the width of the membrane. The upper surfaces plain; with neither discal spot nor transverse lines; hindwings with a frenulum.
Neuration of forewings and hindwings dissimilar. Forewings with well developed neuration, or with greatly reduced neuration (often); 10–13 veined (veins 8 and/or 10 occasionally absent, and sometimes with veins 9–11 joining short of the costa); with 1 anal vein, or with 2 anal veins (then 1c tubular only towards the margin). The anal veins of the forewings comprising 1b and 1c. Forewings more or less exhibiting a tubular vein 1c (this obsolete proximally), or lacking a tubular vein 1c. Vein 1b of the forewings furcate proximally. The transverse vein complete to incomplete. Forewings with an accessory cell. Discal cell of the forewings containing a tubular media (M) vein, or without a tubular media (M) vein (and lacking from that of the hind-wings). Hindwings 9 veined, or 10 veined; with 2 anal veins, or with 3 anal veins. The anal veins of the hindwings comprising 1b and 1c, or comprising 1a, 1b and 1c. Hindwings exhibiting vein 1a, or lacking vein 1a; exhibiting a tubular vein 1c. Vein 1b of the hindwings simple. The transverse vein complete to incomplete. 4–5 veins arising from the hindwing cell (rarely, with veins 4 or 5 absent, or 6 and 7 coincident), or 6 veins arising from the hindwing cell (usually). The cell-derived hindwing veins all arising independently of one another, or 3+4 proximally joined (rarely), or 5+6 proximally joined (rarely). Vein 8 of the hindwings completely independent of the cell; not approximating to vein 7.
Fore-legs with a tibial epiphysis. Tibiae of middle legs 2-spurred. Posterior tibiae 4-spurred; hairy (usually).
Eggs, larvae and pupae. Eggs smooth or minutely pitted (?). Larval prolegs 10. Larvae exposed feeders, or concealed feeders (in dry vegetable or animal matter, sometimes case-bearing).
Pupae concealed; on the surface of the ground, or above the ground. Empty pupae protruded from place of concealment.
British representation. Genera 25 (5 adventive only); about 50 species (5 adventive). Nemaxera betulinella (Bark Clothes Moth, Gold-speckled Clothes-moth), Tineola bisselliella (Common Clothes Moth), etc.
Classification. Microlepidoptera. Suborder Ditrysia. Superfamily Tineoidea.
Illustrations. • Myrmecozela ochraceella: Stainton 13, I (1873). TINEIDAE. 3, Myrmecozela ochraceella. Larva (3a), and a larval “run” formed from bits of stick in the ants' nest spun together with silk (3b). Stainton 13, I (1873). • Stainton 13, I (1873): original legend.. • Tinea, Triaxomera and Trichophaga: Stainton (1859). 1, Tinea trinotella; 2, Triaxomera fulvimitrella; 3, Trichophaga tapetzella. From Stainton (1859, with approximate wingspans added). • Acedes, Morophaga, Myrmecozela, Psychodes, Tineola: Stainton (1854). 2c, head of Psychodes verhuella. 3, Acedes ganomella (see also 10a-10c). 9c and 9d: Morophaga chloragella, head of female, and part of antenna of male. 10a-c, fore- and hindwings, and head, of Acedes ganomella. 10'a-10'c, fore- and hindwings, and head, of Tineola bisselliella. 10'''c, head of Myrmecozela ochraceella. From Stainton (1854, Plates I, II, and IX). • Larvae of 'Tineina': Stainton (1854). 1, OECOPHORIDAE: Diurnea fagella larva, and (1a) shown between united birch leaves. 2, PSYCHIDIDAE: Taleporia(?) larva, showing cases attached to lichen (2a), and a single case enlarged. 3, YPONOMEUTIDAE: Ochsenheimeria taurella, and (3a) a section of grass stem showing the larva in situ. 4, TINEIDAE: Tineola bisselliella, with a gallery formed in feathers (4a); 4b, a case of Tinea pellionella on a feather. 5, INCURVARIIDAE: Incurvaria praelatella, with a partially devoured wild strawberry leaf (5a), and a case from the underside. 6, Incurvaria pectinea, and (6a) the larva in its case feeding on a fallen oak leaf. 7, Lampronia capitella, with (7a) a currant shoot withering from the effects of the larva feeding in the stem. 8, YPONOMEUTIDAE: Swammerdamia pyrella, with (8a) the larva in its web between united cherry leaves. 9, Yponomeutidae-Plutellinae: Plutella porrectella, and (9a) feeding on a Hesperis leaf. 10, GLYPHIPTERIGIDAE: Orthotelia sparganella, with (10a) an eaten stem of Sparganium. 11. OECOPHORIDAE: Depressaria sp., with (11a) a leaf of Centaurea nigra distorted by its attentions. 12, GELECHIIDAE: Anacampsis temerella, with (12a) a sallow leaf tenanted by it. 13, Metzneria aestivella, with (13a) a sectioned fruiting head of Carlina showing the feeding larva in situ. 14, OECOPHORIDAE: Crassa unitella, and (14a) a piece of decayed wood burrowed by the larvae. 15, GLYPHIPTERIGIDAE: Glyphipteryx equitella, with (15a) shoots of Sedum acre showing the middle one bleached by excavations of the larva. 16, YPONOMEUTIDAE: Argyresthia bonnetella, with (16a) hawthorn shoots eaten by the larva. 17, GRACILLARIIDAE: Caloptilia alchimiella, with (17a) an oak lead exhibiting a cone formed by the larva. 18, OECOPHORIDAE: Agonopterix angelicella, with (18a) its cone on a hawthorn leaf. 19, COLEOPHORIDAE: Coleophora follicularis, with (19a) a mined leaf of Eupatorium, and (19b) the case enlarged. 20, LYONETIIDAE: Bedellia somnulentella, with (20a) a mined Convolvulus arvensis leaf. 21, EPERMENIIDAE: Epermenia chaerophyllellus, with (21a) a portion of Anthriscus sylvestris leaf eaten half through by it. 22, MOMPHIDAE: Chrysoclista linneella, with (22a) a piece of inner bark of lime burrowed by it. 23, ELACHISTIDAE: Elachista maculicerusella. with (23a) a mined Phragmites leaf blade. 24, TISCHERIIDAE: Emmetia marginea, and (24a) a mined bramble leaf. 25, GRACILLARIIDAE: Phyllonorycter quinnata, with (25a) a mined Carpinus leaf. 26, LYONETIIDAE: Leucoptera laburnella, with (26a) a mined Laburnum leaf. 27, Bucculatrix bechsteinella (Bucculatricidae), and a hawthorn leaf eaten half through. 28, NEPTICULIDAE: Nepticula sp., with (28a) a mined Potentilla leaf. From Stainton (1854, Plate X). • Morophaga boleti (Boletus Tinea): B. Ent. 591. • Morophaga boleti: B. Ent. 591, legend+text. • Morophaga boleti: B. Ent. 591, text cont.. • Nemaxera betulinella (Bark Clothes Moth, Gold-speckled Clothes-moth: B. Ent. 511). • Nemaxera betulinella (B. Ent. 511, legend+text). N. corticella (Curtis) has only relatively recently been reduced to a synonym of N. betulinella (see Bradley 2000). • Nemaxera betulinella (B. Ent. 511, text cont.). • Tinea (2 species). • Tineola bisselliella (Clothes-moth). • Euplocamus, Nemapogon, Tinea, Trichophaga: Kirby. 14, Euplocamus anthracinalis; 15, Trichophaga tapetzella; 16, Tinea pellionella (Clothes Moth); 17, Nemapogon granella. From Kirby (1907). • Tinea trinotella, Trichophaga trapetzella: neuration.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Lepidoptera. Version: 14th April 2022. delta-intkey.com’.
