Tineidae is a family ofmoths in the orderLepidoptera described byPierre André Latreille in 1810. Collectively, they are known asfungus moths ortineid moths. The family contains considerably more than 3,000 species in more than 300 genera. Most of the tineid moths are small or medium-sized, with wings held roofwise over the body when at rest. They are particularly common in thePalaearctic, but many occur elsewhere, and some are found very widely asintroduced species.
Tineids are unusual among Lepidoptera as thelarvae of only a very small number of species feed on livingplants, the majority feeding onfungi,lichens, anddetritus. The most familiar members of the family are the clothes moths, which have adapted to feeding on stored fabrics and led to their reputation as a household pest. The most widespread of such species are thecommon clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella), thecase-bearing clothes moth (Tinea pellionella), and thecarpet moth (Trichophaga tapetzella); thebrown-dotted clothes moth (Niditinea fuscella) despite its name, preferentially feeds onfeathers inbird nests.
One remarkable genus isCeratophaga, whose members feed exclusively on purekeratin in the form of the horns and hooves of deadmammals and even the shells of deadtortoises.
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Zagulajev, A.K. 1960. Tineidae; part 3 - subfamily Tineinae. [In Russian.]Fauna SSSR, 78: 1–267, 231 figs, 3 pls. [Translation, 1975, New Delhi.]
Zagulajev, A.K. 1964. Tineidae; part 2 - subfamily Nemapogoninae. [In Russian.]Fauna SSSR, 86: 1–424, 385 figs, 1 pl. [Translation, 1968, Jerusalem.]
Zagulajev, A.K. 1973. Tineidae; part 4 - subfamily Scardiinae. [In Russian.]Fauna SSSR, 104: 1–126, 99 figs, 2 pls.
Zagulajev, A.K. 1975. Tineidae; part 5 - subfamily Myrmecozelinae. [In Russian.]Fauna SSSR, 108: 1–426, 319 figs, 8 pls. [Translation, 1988, New Delhi.]
Zagulajev, A.K. 1979. Tineidae; part 6 - subfamily Meessiinae. [In Russian.]Fauna SSSR, 119: 1–409.
Zagulajev A K. 1988 English translation (original 1975).Clothes Moths (Tineidae) (English translation of Nastoyaschie Moli (Tineidae)).Akademiya Nauk SSSr, Zoologicheskii Institut, New series No. 108
