The cases of these creatures constructed by the larval or caterpillar stage often attract attention when found in Florida homes. However, we usually see only the empty larval or pupal cases of the household casebearer on walls of houses in south and central Florida.
In 1933, August Busck proposed the name Tineola walsinghami for the Virgin Island insects of Walsingham. The same year Kea wrote about the food habits of the species present in Florida, using the name given by Walsingham (T. uterella). After a while, the species in the peninsula was recognized as T. walsinghami. In 1956, Hinton and Bradley described the new genus Phereoeca, in order to separate the true Tineola from this and other species of flat case-bearing moths.
Finally, an early 'synonym' established by Meyrick was recognized as the most appropriate name, and the species was named Phereoeca dubitatrix (Meyrick 1932). However, another name change occurred and the current official common and scientific names for this species is the household casebearer - Phereoeca uterella Walsingham.
In South America, Phereoeca uterella Walsingham is known to be present in Brazil (state of Para) and Guyana.
Another related species of case-bearing moths is Praececodes atomosella (tecophora) (Walker 1863). It was found in Gainesville, Florida, and has been recorded as present in the southern USA, Hawaii, Mexico, Bermuda, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Europe, Africa, Malaya, Australia and other localities. It is possible that records of P. uterella might be misidentified as this species or viceversa.
Due to the active exchange of goods on an international basis, other case-bearing moths may occur in Florida in the future. For example, Phereoeca allutella (Rebel) has been recorded in Hawaii, Panama, Canary Islands, Madeira, Sierra Leone, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, India, Java and Samoa.
Larva: The larva is not usually seen by most people. The case that it carries around wherever it feeds is what is immediately recognized. It can be found under spiderwebs, in bathrooms, bedrooms and garages. Cases can be found on wool rugs and wool carpets, hanging on curtains, or underneath under buildings, hanging from subflooring, joists, sills and foundations; on the exterior of buildings in shaded places, under farm sheds, under lawn furniture, on stored farm machinery and on tree trunks.
The larval case is a slender flat fusiform or spindle-shape case which resembles a cantaloupe or pumpkin seed. It is silk-lined inside and open at both ends. Most of the biology described here was taken from Aiello's (1979) description of Phereoeca allutella, a closely related case-bearing moth species from Panama. Specific information of P. uterella biology is limited.
The case is constructed by the the earliest larval stage (1st instar) before it hatches, and is enlarged by each successive instar. In constructing the case, the larva secretes silk to build an arch attached at both ends to the substrate. Very small particles of sand, soil, iron rust, insect droppings, arthropod remains, hairs and other fibers are added on the outside. The inside of the arch is lined exclusively by silk, and is gradually extended to form a tunnel, while the larva stays inside. The tunnel is closed beneath by the larva to form a tube free from the substrate, and open at both ends. After the first case is completed, the larva starts moving around, pulling its case behind. With each molt, the larva enlarges its case. Later cases are flattened and widest in the middle, allowing the larva to turn around inside. A fully developed larva has a case 8 to 14 mm long and 3 to 5 mm wide.
Both ends of the case are identical, and are used by the larva. The defense mechanism of the larva is to hide. When disturbed, it encloses itself in the case by pulling the bottom-most side up. The closing mechanism is very difficult to open from outside.
The fully developed larva is about 7 mm long; It has a dark brown head, and the rest of the body is white, except for the lateral and dorsal plates on the three thoracic segments close to the head, which are hardened and dark. Aiello (1979) believes the plates protect the larva from natural enemies when it reaches out of its case for locomotion.
The larva has three pair of well-developed, brown legs. The ventral prolegs are white, and are located in abdominal segments 3 to 6 and 10. At the tip of each proleg there is an ellipse formed by 23 to 25 very small crochets (a small hooklike organ). As an useful identification detail, the anterior crochets are bigger and broader than posterior ones by one third. The crochets are used for friction to walk inside the case, and also to grab the case when the larva pulls out its head and thorax, using its true legs to walk on the floor or walls.
Pupa: Pupation occurs inside the case. The larva walks up a vertical surface and attaches the case at both ends with silk. One end of the case is then modified. The larva cuts a short slit along both edges to make that end flatter, which acts as a valve. Before eclosion the pupa pulls itself halfway through the valve. The new moth emerges around noon, leaving the pupal case exposed on the outer case.
Adult: Adult females have a wing span 10 to 13 mm long. They are gray with up to four spots on the fore wings, and a brush of long, lighter gray hair-like scales along the posterior margin of the hind wings. Males are smaller in size (wing span: 7 to 9 mm) and thinner than the female, and its wing pattern is less distinctive.
The heads of both sexes are uniformly clothed with dense, rough hair. There are two pairs of buccal appendages called palps. The maxillary palps are smaller than the labial palps, and are folded inwards. The labial palps extend a little beyond head vestiture. Because the rest of the mouth parts are reduced, no feeding as adults is expected to occur. The antennae are filiform (threadlike), as long as the wings, and are held back over the body. The compound eyes are prominent.
Wing venation is very important for genera identification, and was described by Hinton and Bradley in 1956. Adults at rest hold their wings tented over the body. They fly fairly well, but usually rest on walls, floor edges, or on webs of house spiders (theridiids) (Aiello 1979).
Eggs require more than 10 days to hatch. There are six to seven larval instars that require about 50 days to mature. They remain in the pupal stage an average of 15.6 days (range of 11 to 23 days). The entire cycle from egg to adult averages 74.2 days (62 to 86 days). Aiello (1979) indicates that the number of instars may vary among individuals of both sexes.
Florida Insect Management Guide for bagworms and clothes moths
A braconid wasp, Apanteles carpatus (Say), parasitizes larvae of case-bearing moths, killing the larva before pupation. In Florida, this braconid and an ichneumonid wasp, Lymeon orbum (Say) were reared from the household casebearer (Hetrick 1957).
Authors: Juan A. Villanueva-Jiménez and Thomas R. Fasulo, University of Florida
Photographs: Juan A. Villanueva-Jiménez and Lyle J. Buss, University of Florida
Project Coordinator: Thomas R. Fasulo, University of Florida
Publication Number: EENY-3
Publication Date: September 1996. Latest revision: April 2010.
Copyright 1996-2010 University of Florida
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Department of Entomology and Nematology
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larva
case
adult female
adult male
head of adult