Tineidae | |
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Adult European Grain Moth (Nemapogon granella: Nemapogoninae) from Graz (Austria) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
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Suborder: | Glossata
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Infraorder: | Heteroneura
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Division: | |
Superfamily: | Tineoidea
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Family: | Tineidae Latreille, 1810
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Type genus | |
Tinea Linnaeus, 1758
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Subfamilies | |
Dryadaulinae |
Tineidae (or clothes moth) is a family of moths. They are known as fungus moths or tineid moths.
There are more than 3,000 species in over 300 genera. Most of the tineid moths are small or medium-sized. They have wings. They are common in the Palaearctic. Others found elsewhere were introduced
Tineids eat living plants, fungi, lichens, and detritus. The best-known members of the family are the clothes moths. They eat stored fabrics. The most widespread species are the common clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella), the case-bearing clothes moth (Tinea pellionella) and the carpet moth (Trichophaga tapetzella). The brown-dotted clothes moths (Niditinea fuscella) feeds on feathers in a bird's nest. The genus Ceratophaga, feeds on dead animals such as mammals and the shells of dead tortoises.