Lesser wax moth
| Lesser wax moth | |
|---|---|
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| Adult specimen | |
-12mm.jpg) |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Division: | Ditrysia |
| Family: | Pyralidae |
| Tribe: | Galleriini |
| Genus: | Achroia |
| Species: | A. grisella |
| Binomial name | |
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Achroia grisella (Fabricius, 1794) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Achroia alvearia (lapsus)
Achroia major (Dufrane, 1930)
Achroia obscurevittella Ragonot, 1901
Acroia major (lapsus)
Bombyx cinereola Hübner, 1802
Galleria aluearia Fabricius, 1798
Galleria alvea Haworth, 1811 (unjustified emendation)
Galleria alvearia (lapsus)
Meliphora alveariella Guenée, 1845 (unjustified emendation)
Tinea anticella Walker, 1863
Tinea grisella Fabricius, 1794
Achroia grisella, the lesser wax moth, is a small moth of the snout moth family (Pyralidae), wherein it belongs to the subfamily Galleriinae. It is the only unequivocally recognized species of genus Achroia. The Greater Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella) is a quite close relative; though placed in a distinct genus, it still belongs to the same tribe – the Galleriini – within the Galleriinae.
Their caterpillars larvae are among the best-known "waxworms", as they are widely bred as food for pets such as lizards or fish.
Lesser wax moths are very common in most parts of the world, except the colder regions, aided in their spread by humans who have involuntarily introduced them to many countries. They are known or suspected to inhabit most of Africa (including Madagascar), Australia, Europe (expect perhaps some more remote regions, particularly in Greece) and North America, as well as parts of the Neotropics (at least Colombia, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Trinidad), the Bengal region, Japan, Sri Lanka, and the Marquesas Islands and Tahiti in French Polynesia.
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Wikipedia