Skin moth

Monopis laevigella

The skin moth is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family , and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It is the type species of the genus ''Monopis'' and its junior objective synonym ''Hyalospila''. As with the common clothes moth , earlier authors frequently misapplied the name ''Tinea vestianella'' to the present species.

It is not uncommon all across western Eurasia as well as in North America. It has not been recorded in Slovenia yet, but given that it occurs in all neighboring countries, it probably has simply been overlooked. Its absence from some Mediterranean islands may be genuine however.
Monopis laevigella Side view of Monopis laevigella. The larvae of this tiny moth feed on rotting animals, owl pellets, bird nest debris, feathers, and cloth. Geotagged,Monopis,Monopis laevigella,Skin moth,Summer,Tineidae,United States,insects,moth

Appearance

The adults of this small moth have a wingspan of 13–20 mm. On the wing around May to September , they are nocturnal and come out at dusk. They have dark brown forewings with a white fringe and the translucent center spot characteristic for the genus ''Monopis'', but lack the white markings adjacent to it found in many congeners. The hindwings are lighter brown-grey; they are surrounded by a long-haired fringe, as usual for fungus moths and relatives. The body is dark brown, and the head bears a tuft of reddish-ochre hair.

Two generations per year may occur as far north as southern England. Otherwise, the caterpillar larvae are found in the colder months only. They generally feed on animal detritus. They have been recorded from dried-out animal carcasses, in the debris of bird nests and on owl pellets. They have also been found to eat feathers, furs, hairs, carpets, rags and rotted fabrics.

Habitat

The adults of this small moth have a wingspan of 13–20 mm. On the wing around May to September , they are nocturnal and come out at dusk. They have dark brown forewings with a white fringe and the translucent center spot characteristic for the genus ''Monopis'', but lack the white markings adjacent to it found in many congeners. The hindwings are lighter brown-grey; they are surrounded by a long-haired fringe, as usual for fungus moths and relatives. The body is dark brown, and the head bears a tuft of reddish-ochre hair.

Two generations per year may occur as far north as southern England. Otherwise, the caterpillar larvae are found in the colder months only. They generally feed on animal detritus. They have been recorded from dried-out animal carcasses, in the debris of bird nests and on owl pellets. They have also been found to eat feathers, furs, hairs, carpets, rags and rotted fabrics.

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderLepidoptera
FamilyTineidae
GenusMonopis
SpeciesM. laevigella