| tineid moth | |
noun | |
| small yellowish moths whose larvae feed on wool or fur [syn: tineid] |
tineid moth
any of a group of moths (order Lepidoptera) that includes several economically important clothes-moth species. Tineid moths generally have slender, elongated, fringed wings with a wingspan of 12 to 25 mm (12 to 1 inch) and dull, mottled coloration. They have long antennae and erect scales or hairs on their heads, giving them a "spiked" look. The larvae are scavengers, feeding chiefly on fungi or materials of animal origin. Many species have larvae that construct a silken case around themselves. Discovered in early Tertiary deposits (about 50 million years old), tineid fossil remains probably represent some of the earliest lepidopteran forms
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