Textile-pest
Guides
Attagenus fasciatus
Banded Black Carpet Beetle, Tobacco Seed Beetle, Wardrobe Beetle
Attagenus fasciatus is a cosmopolitan carpet beetle in the family Dermestidae, commonly known as the banded black carpet beetle, tobacco seed beetle, or wardrobe beetle. It occurs in North America, Oceania, Europe, and tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. The species is a significant pest of stored products, textiles, and animal materials, with larvae feeding on keratin-containing substrates.
Attagenus smirnovi
Brown Carpet Beetle, Vodka Beetle
Attagenus smirnovi is a synanthropic dermestid beetle commonly known as the brown carpet beetle. Native to Africa, it has established populations across Central and Northern Europe through human-mediated dispersal. The species is a significant pest of museum collections and households, feeding on keratin-based materials including wool textiles, carpets, fur, and skin. First described by Rustem Devletovich Zhantiev in 1973, it was named after E.S. Smirnov, who first observed it in Moscow in 1961.
Hofmannophila pseudospretella
Brown House Moth, Samenmotte (German)
A cosmopolitan pest moth of stored products and dwellings. Larvae feed on keratinous materials including wool, fur, and feathers, as well as dried plant matter. Adults are nocturnal and exhibit complex sexual behavior involving pheromone-mediated mate location. The species is the sole member of its genus, though its distinctness from related genera remains under study.
Tinea
Tinea is a genus of fungus moths in the family Tineidae, established as one of the earliest subgroups of moths. It is the type genus of both its family and subfamily. Historically, the genus encompassed many species now placed in other genera. Species within Tinea include economically significant pests such as the casemaking clothes moth (Tinea pellionella).
Tineola
clothes moths
Tineola is a genus of small moths in the family Tineidae containing two described species, including the economically significant common clothes moth (T. bisselliella). The genus is notable for larvae that possess specialized digestive capabilities enabling them to metabolize keratin, a protein found in hair, wool, feathers, and other animal-derived materials. These moths are synanthropic, having evolved alongside humans and now rarely occurring outside human dwellings.
Trichophaga
tapestry moths, carpet moths
Trichophaga is a genus of small moths in the family Tineidae, subfamily Tineinae. The genus includes approximately ten described species distributed across Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia. The most well-known species is Trichophaga tapetzella, commonly called the tapestry moth or carpet moth, a pest of woolen textiles. Larval habits vary: at least one species has been documented living in pellets regurgitated by nocturnal birds of prey.