Case-building-moth
Guides
Apterona helicoidella
snailcase bagworm
A bagworm moth native to Europe that constructs a distinctive helical, snail-like case. The species was accidentally introduced to North America in the 1940s and has since established populations across multiple U.S. regions. Adults are reduced or absent in females, which retain a larval form and remain within their cases.
Dahlica
bagworm moth
Dahlica is a genus of bagworm moths in the family Psychidae, subfamily Naryciinae. The genus was established by Enderlein in 1912 and includes several described species, most notably Dahlica triquetrella, a small and inconspicuous species often mistaken for debris. Species in this genus construct protective cases from silk and environmental materials, with Dahlica triquetrella building cases that resemble small bits of dirt or wood rather than the prominent plant-covered cases of larger bagworm species. The subgenus Postsolenobia within Dahlica has been the subject of recent taxonomic revision using DNA barcoding, revealing unexpected patterns of genetic diversity among its five validly described taxa.