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Species Endrosis sarcitrella - White-shouldered House-Moth - Hodges#1067

Endrosis sarcitrella ? - Endrosis sarcitrella white shouldered moth - Endrosis sarcitrella Small White-headed Moth - Endrosis sarcitrella Silver Moth - Endrosis sarcitrella Unknown Moth - Endrosis sarcitrella Twirler Moth - White-shouldered House-Moth - Endrosis sarcitrella Twirler Moth - White-shouldered House-Moth - Endrosis sarcitrella Unknown Moth - Endrosis sarcitrella
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 Gelechioidea (Twirler Moths and kin)
Family Oecophoridae (Concealer Moths)
Subfamily Oecophorinae
Tribe Oecophorini
Genus Endrosis
Species sarcitrella (White-shouldered House-Moth - Hodges#1067)
Hodges Number
1067
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Endrosis sarcitrella (Linnaeus, 1758)
Phalaena (Tinea) sarcitrella Linnaeus, 1758 (536)
* phylogenetic sequence #030650
Size
Forewing length 4.5-8.5 mm. (1)
Larva to 12 mm.
Identification
Adult - small brown, lightly mottled moth with white thorax, shoulders, and head.

Larva - white with a brownish head and is similar the the Brown House Moth.
Range
In North America it ranges along the coast from Alaska to California, Nevada, Illinois, and the northeast. (1)
Habitat
Near humans, especially around foodstuffs.
Season
Larvae pupate in the spring, but can be seen as adults from April to September.
Food
Larvae infest places with dry plant material such as bird nests, fungus as well as in fabrics and places where there are dried grains.
Life Cycle
Females lay up to 200 eggs at a time in food stuffs. Egg incubation requires 10 to 58 days, the larval period is 38 to 133 days, and the period from egg to adult is 62 to 235 days. The adults only live about a month.
Remarks
Can be a damaging pest in some areas, particularly to wine cellars, where the larvae bore into the corks and ruin the wine... unless you like Tequila :-). Most damage is caused by the byprodcts of the larvae, and is usually only a problem in factory settings. Feeding is done entirely during the larval stage, once they pupate, the moths don't feed and lack the mouthparts to do so.
Print References
Hodges, R.W. 1974. Moths of America North of Mexico, Fascicle 6.2, p.130; pl.6.29-30 (2)
Powell, J.A. & P.A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America. University of California Press. p.64, pl.4.28f, 4.35m (1)
Internet References
General Info Plus image of live moth
Pest information Plus some life cycle info
Larva image And links to images of live moths
Works Cited
1.Moths of Western North America
Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press.
2.The Moths of America North of Mexico Fascicle 6.2 Gelechioidea, Oecophoridae
Ronald W. Hodges. 1974. E. W. Classey Ltd. and RBD Publications Inc.