12: TINEIDAE

12.006 Silver-barred Clothes Moth (Infurcitinea argentimaculella) larval tube at Hollas Lane, Copley, Mar. 19th 2019. It was found on an old Sycamore trunk covered in lepraria? lichen. The tube is silk-lined, 20mm long and adorned with lichen and about 20% frass.

12.006 Silver-barred Clothes Moth (Infurcitinea argentimaculella) found on the outside of my dining room window sill on July 13th 2018. A daytime capture. I've given it a good looking at under the microscope and keyed it down to Tineidae per Sterling and Parsons micro guide (who knew their palps had protruding bristles!). I think it must therefore be of this species. 

12.014 Gold-speckled Clothes Moth (Nemaxera betulinella), Bankhouse wood, July 23rd 09. Captured by day. Small and extremely well camouflaged among the bark of oak. 

 A quote from Tutt's "Practical hints for the field lepidopterist" sums up my experience perfectly: "A very careful search must be made to detect the moth as it sits in the fissures of the bark where it is easily passed for an uneveness in the bark or a piece of lichen."

12.016 Cork Moth (Nemapogon cloacella) netted late evening in the garden on Aug. 8th 2020. 

12.026 Common Clothes Moths (Tineola bisselliella), just a few of the many dead specimens from an old, infested rug at Peachy Steve's Mirey Wall farm near Sowerby on July 11th 2021.

12.026 Common Clothes Moth (Tineola bisselliella) inside the Collinson moth collection at Savile Park on May 20th 2022. 

See "Collinson's cabinet collection" on the home page for more details.

12.026 Common Clothes Moth (Tineola bisselliella) details above.

12.027 Case-bearer Clothes Moth (Tinea pellionella) case and larva, May 31st 2021. One of a thriving colony (or infestation) at Halifax Scientific Society's Richard Robinson's house at Sowood. One of several I brought home to rear through.

12.027 Case-bearer Clothes Moth on June 4th 2021, details above. Two cases and one larva in among the carpet I was feeding them on!

12.027 Case-bearer Clothes Moth on June 27th 2021, reared from one of the cases mentioned above.

12.032 Fulvous Clothes Moth (Tinea semifulvella) to MV light at Manshead moor plantation, Ripponden on July 8th 2023.

12.032 Fulvous Clothes Moth (Tinea semifulvella), Bankhouse wood, June 27th 2010. One of two netted at dusk that summer.

12.033 Bird's-nest Moth (Tinea trinotella), one of two to MV light near the visitor centre at Cromwell Bottom, June 1st 2019.

12.036  Skin Moth, Apr. 29th 09. One of a couple of dozen reared from around 10 old bird's nests supplied to me by Nick Carter of the Halifax birdwatchers club on Mar. 23rd 09. 

The nests were placed in a plastic re-cycling box with cling film over it and then I waited for the moths to emerge. There were so moths in the end that they soon began to pair up.

12.047 Hart's-tongue Smut (Psychoides verhuella) case on Hart's-tongue Fern near Hollin Hall at Hardcastle Crags on May 2nd 2023.

12.047 Hart's-tongue Smut (Psychoides verhuella) case and mines, details as above.

12.047 Hart's-tongue Smut (Psychoides verhuella) larva, details as above.

The larva differs from that of the Fern Smut in having an almost black head and prothoracic plate and the presence of an anal plate. The larva was replaced in to the case to hopefully rear through.

12.047 Hart's-tongue Smut (Psychoides verhuella), 6 larval cases on Hart's-tongue Fern with some already containing pupa on May 6th 2023. These were by the main track shortly before Gibson Mill. It's looking like P. verhuella maybe the commoner (only?) species here despite P. filicivora being the only one found at several sites elsewhere in Calderdale.

12.047 Hart's-tongue Smut (Psychoides verhuella) pupa on May 19th 2023. Reared from the larvae and pupae mentioned above, they are developing nicely with eyes having already darkened.

12.047 Hart's-tongue Smut (Psychoides verhuella) on May 25th 2023. Reared from one of the pupae pictured above.

12.048 Fern Smut (Psychoides filicivora) mine and case on Hart's Tongue Fern, Skircoat Green, Feb. 26th 09. The larval case is constructed with silk and sporangia from the frond which gives it excellent camouflage.

12.048 Fern Smut (Psychoides filicivora) feeding case, empty pupal case and newly emerged adult, Mar. 28th 09. One of two adults reared from the mines pictured above. Not only a first for me but for Yorkshire as well, I'm sure this moth will become more commonly recorded as the species spreads northwards. The mines were on ferns found growing out of a mortared garden wall on the side of a busy main road.

12.048 Fern Smut (Psychoides filicivora), Mar. 28th 09. Same moth as above.

12.048 Fern Smut (Psychoides filicivora) mines and larvae on Hart's Tong Fern in the garden, Feb. 27th 2016. Seven years after my first record half a mile away it has now colonised my garden - on the only fern present! The larvae leave their cases to feed freely within the mine; they can also be transferred to new mines on a fresh leaf if necessary.

12.048 Fern Smut (Psychoides filicivora) larva being transfered from the frond pictured above to a fresh one. It has a brown head, translucent prothorax  and no anal plate which separates it from the preceding species.

12.048 Fern Smut (Psychoides filicivora) pupa reared from the above larva. The diagnostic tornal spot is clearly visible.

12.048 Fern Smut (Psychoides filicivora) larval cases on the underside of Western Polypody at Manor Heath park, Sept. 15th 2019. The fern was indentified during a walk and talk led by Laurence Sutton for the Halifax Scientific Society. Aside from the five, brown, sporangia covered cases shown there was one larva present and two adult moths flying around the fern. It has rarely, if ever, been recorded before using this species of fern as a host in the UK.