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)