LIFE HISTORY AND BEHAVIOR 
OF THE CASE-BEARER 
PHEREOECA ALLUTELLA 
(LEPIDOPTERA: TINEIDAE) 
By Annette Aiello* 
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 
P. O. Box 2072, Balboa, Panama 
Phereoeca Hinton and Bradley (1956) is a genus of tropical 
moths, the larvae of which are casemaking scavengers that feed on 
animal hair and dead insects. In a communication to Lord Wal- 
singham (1897) a Mr. Schulz wrote of them: “The Amazonian 
clothes moth [larval and pupal cases] ... are very frequent in the 
houses in Para, keeping on the walls of the rooms and are very 
injurious to clothes.” Although common, associated with human 
dwellings, and known for more than 80 years, little is known con¬ 
cerning their biology or distribution. Specimens are uncommon in 
collections. Hinton (1956) described the larvae of three species, but 
the distinctions among these are not clear and the size of the genus 
remains uncertain. 
This paper, the result of studies done during April through 
August 1978, is a brief report of the life history and behavior of 
Phereoeca allutella (Rebel) on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), 
Panama. 
Habitat 
Larval and pupal cases (Figure 1) of Phereoeca are found on the 
outside walls and inside non-airconditioned buildings on BCI. They 
are most abundant under spiderwebs, in bathrooms and bedrooms. 
(BCI residents refer to them as “bathroom moths.”) Adults may be 
seen flying or resting in these same areas as well. 
Speculation as to where Phereoeca would live, if buildings were 
not available, lead to a fruitless search for it in other habitats. They 
were not seen in three years of BCI berlese sampling of leaf litter 
(Sally Levings, pers. comm.), or on tree trunks or buttresses. The 
larval cases would be well camouflaged if they rested on tree trunks: 
‘Present address: Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cam¬ 
bridge, Massachusetts. U.S. A. 02138 
Manuscript received by the editor December 10, 1979 
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