Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Tineidae Members:	Monopis Members:	52 NC Records

Monopis crocicapitella (Clemens, 1859) - Bird Nest Moth

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Tineoidea

Family:
Tineidae

Subfamily:
Tineinae

Tribe:
[Tineini]

P3 Number:
300168

MONA Number:
415.00

Other Common Names:
Saffron-headed Monopis, Pale-backed Clothes Moth

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Clemens, 1859

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Gerard, 1995

Adult Markings: The following description is based in part on that of Clemens (1859) and Forbes (1923). The head, head tuft and face are saffron yellow to pale yellow. The labial palp is yellowish, but dark brown externally. The dark fuscous antenna is long and extends to near the beginning of the terminal fringe. The thorax is saffron yellow to yellowish above and dark fuscous on the sides. The ground color of the forewing is dark fuscous and has scattered yellow scales that are more prevalent and better organized along the costa. An irregular, somewhat sinuous, narrow yellow streak occurs on the inner margin to the wing tip. A semi-hyaline pale discal spot is present at about one-half the wing length or slightly beyond. The hindwing is pale brownish gray, and the legs are brown with yellow flecks and yellow tips near the joints. Tinea mandarinella is very similar, but has a sub-apical costal blotch and lacks the pale, semi-hyaline discal spot at one-half.

Wingspan: 9-17.5 mm (Forbes, 1923)

Adult Structural Features: Gerard (1995) and Turbanova et al. (2019) have illustrations of the male and female genitalia.

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: All except the first-instar larvae live in silk cases that have fragments of wool, frass, shed head capsules, or other debris incorporated on the outside (Gerard, 1995). The case is dorsolaterally flattened and open at both ends. The larvae have a tan head capsule and a glossy, creamy white body. The prothoracic shield has two triangular pale amber plates on the dorsal surface. The mature larvae are about 10 mm long and live in cases that are 9- 12 mm long and 2.5-3.5 mm wide. Pupation occurs within the case. Gerard (1995) documented five instars and found that the first instar requires relatively high humidity for survival.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: This species attacks stored grain, potatoes, and wool based products and has been transported to many areas of the world. It is most prevalent in temperate regions, including North America, Europe, Russia, Japan, southeastern Australia, and New Zealand. Monopis crocicapitella was originally described from eastern North America, and is presumed to be native. However, its original range is poorly resolved. It is widely distributed in North America where it is most common in the West Coast states and in the eastern US. As of 2020, we have records that range from the coast to the lower elevations in the mountains.

County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.


Flight Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: Adults have been found during every month of the year outside of North Carolina, but are most frequently encountered from April through October. As of 2020, we have records that extend from March through November, with a burst of activity during the spring and a second bout of activity in the fall.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: This species is a generalist detritivore that is not strongly dependent on plant hosts. Populations in the wild exploit natural materials such as mammal scat or debris in bird nests, but the larvae also commonly feed on human products.

Larval Host Plants: The larvae are detritivores and feed on a variety of organic matter. Populations in the wild feed on rich organic material such as owl pellets, bat guano, and mammal scat, as well as the fecal material, feathers and debris in bird nests. This species also exploits human products such as wool products, fur, and stored potatoes, flour, and grain (Gerard, 1995; Powell and Opler, 2009; Turbanova et al., 2019). - View

Observation Methods: The adults occasionally appear at lights and the larvae are often found in wet carpeting and other wool products.

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks:

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments:

Photo Gallery for Monopis crocicapitella - Bird Nest Moth

60 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2025-05-13 Macon Co. Comment:		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2025-05-13 Macon Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2025-05-13 Macon Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-04-27 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-04-25 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2024-08-27 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-26 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-07-17 Ashe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-06-11 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2024-06-07 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-02 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-20 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-13 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-13 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-09 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-06-23 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Richard Teper, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard, Richard Stickney, Becky Watkins on 2023-05-06 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Richard Teper, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard, Richard Stickney, Becky Watkins on 2023-05-06 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-18 Guilford Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-04 Guilford Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-19 Guilford Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-05-26 Guilford Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-04-27 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-04-22 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2021-06-23 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2021-03-14 Guilford Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2021-03-08 Guilford Co. Comment: