Ceratophaga vicinella

Ceratophaga vicinella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Tineidae
Genus:	Ceratophaga
Species:	C. vicinella
Binomial name
Ceratophaga vicinella Dietz, 1905

Ceratophaga vicinella is a species of moth belonging to the family Tineidae. It has a restricted range in the southeastern United States, mainly in Florida and Mississippi.

This species appears to be in decline, almost certainly because the gopher tortoise Gopherus polyphemus is under threat: the moth relies on the tortoise in a unique way. All Ceratophaga larvae feed, uniquely among Lepidoptera, on solid keratin. Most species feed on the horns and hooves of dead ungulates but C. vicinella feeds exclusively on the shells of dead gopher tortoises.

The larva of C. vicinella, whitish with a dark brown head, constructs a silken tube strongly attached to the tortoise shell, which extends up to 10 cm into the ground, possibly to protect the larva from temperature extremes and parasitoids. It feeds, and eventually pupates, within the protection of this tube. Often several tubes are found together on a single shell, forming a "crust".

The adult is a fairly typical tineid, blackish brown with a tiny white spot on each forewing and a prominent tuft of cream-coloured hair on the head.

References

• A Caterpillar that Eats Tortoise Shells