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Species Ephestia kuehniella - Mediterranean Flour Moth - Hodges#6020

Ephestia kuehniella  - Ephestia kuehniella Mediterranean Flour Moth? - Ephestia kuehniella Ephestia kuehniella (Mediterranean Flour Moth) - Ephestia kuehniella Mediterranean Flour Moth (Ephestia kuehniella) - Ephestia kuehniella Arizona Moth - Ephestia kuehniella Ephestia kuehniella Ephestia kuehniella Ephestia kuehniella
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Pyraloidea (Pyralid and Crambid Snout Moths)
Family Pyralidae (Pyralid Moths)
Subfamily Phycitinae
Tribe Phycitini
No Taxon (Ephestia Series)
Genus Ephestia
Species kuehniella (Mediterranean Flour Moth - Hodges#6020 )
Hodges Number
6020
Other Common Names
Indian Flour Moth or Mill Moth
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Anagasta kuehniella (Zeller, 1879)
Explanation of Names
Ephestia kuehniella (Zeller, 1879)
Size
Adult: up to 12 mm long. Wingspan between 16-20 mm.
Caterpillar: about 12 mm long when mature.
Identification
Adult moth: pale gray with dark bands. Caterpillar: off-white with a darker head.
Life Cycle
This moth secretes a pheromone from their mandibular glands that triggers dispersal of the larvae and deters egg-laying females.(1)
Remarks
Introduced from the Mediterranean. Pest of stored goods.
Their mandibular secretions affect individual dispersion, lengthens generation time of developing individuals, and lowers female fecundity crowded as larvae.(2)
Internet References
Works Cited
1.Insect-Plant Biology
L.M. Schoonhoven, T. Jermy, and J.J.A. Van Loon. 1998. Chapman and Hall.
2.Insect Behavior
Robert W. Matthews and Janice R. Matthews. 1988. Robert E. Krieger Publishing Co.