12.027 BF240  –  Tineidae –  Tineinae – Tinea pellionella – Case-bearing Clothes Moth – Linnaeus, 1758 Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Tineidae  >> Tineinae
Other Name/s: Carpet Moth
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Tinea dubiella (Speckled Clothes Moth)
ID pointers: A tiny moth overall pale greyish brown forewing, containing two or three darker brown spots.
Distribution:  (Last record: 21 April 2025 at Glossop )  –  Widely distributed across Britain, yet only four records reported, 2021,2016 & 2004, 2025
Flight Period: June /  July /  August /  September /  October /  –  Generally during May and October but as they can live in out buildings can be seen outside this period. Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – is often seen during the day Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Christian Heintzen  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 9-16mm
Food Plant: Wool, fur, birds nests, carpets – the larvae can be destructive to woollen carpets
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Christian Heintzen
Last Recorded General Area – Glossop

Selected Images:  

Glossop – 21st April 2025 – Christian Heintzen©



Distribution Map for Tinea pellionella

Found 9 records
    ↳ 3 from After 2025
    ↳ 0 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 6 from Before 2020
Flying
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

If the Map Layers function fails, just refresh the page and it should be OK after. Use the +- zoom on the top left, or on a tablet, use two fingers to zoom. Remember, the last layer you ticked is the one which displays the popup information - they sit on top of each other - de-select then re-select, to see the popup values.

Bedrock Geology ** indirectly affects moth distribution by influencing the type of habitat and food plants available in an area. In turn, this may affect the types of moths that can thrive, or where they can most likely be found.


NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Tinea pellionella

⚠️ Please wait for the map to load fully – do not click the link shown.


Note – the NBN Atlas datasets are listed in the map below and vary in their currency (uptodateness) – however, the map does give a general indication of the moth's distribution across the UK.

Visit NBN Site


Monthly Records By Year: Tinea pellionella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Monthly Counts By Year: Tinea pellionella
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )


First/Last Recorded Dates: Tinea pellionella
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]

Shading shows moth presence between dates

Click the colour discs below to Select/De-select as Required

Recordings By Year: Tinea pellionella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Tinea pellionella
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%


CUSUM Analysis: Tinea pellionella
About this chart: CUSUM (Cumulative Sum) charts track long-term trends in moth populations [ filtered by 'Adult' and 'Mine' life stages ] by showing whether each year’s counts are above or below the historical average. Even small shifts build up over time, making trends of growth, stability, or decline easier to see. CUSUM highlights trend-consistency — asking: “Across the years, have moth counts mostly stayed above or below average?”
The data sample has 21 gap year/s here (zero records) between 2000 and 2025. The moth may have been present in those gap years, but no data was available. Too many year-gaps may exaggerate or skew the chart.

Counts for the current year (2025) are pro-rated based on data available up to month 8 (August) to provide a full-year equivalent.

Purple line rises = years better than average; falls = years worse than average.
Peak (best year) Trough (worst year) Growth periods Decline periods
Population peaked around 2009, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2005, showing a significant decline.

What the Y-axis "Cumulative Deviation" means: Cumulative Deviation shows the running total of how each year’s moth population count differs from the long-term average. i

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Tinea pellionella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Tinea pellionella
( data includes Adult Stage only )

Flight Period chart – the grey hatched area above, which can cross one or more months, pictorially represents the best guess we have for this moth's flight periods [month/s]. The coloured lines represent the actual months seen in flight, from site observation records received between 2020-2025.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Tinea pellionella – 9 records available

Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
LittleoverSK33G11/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
White Knowle Road, BuxtonSK07R30/05/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U30/05/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Haig St, Crewton, DerbySK33R05/06/20121Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Fernhill Rd, MellorSJ98U15/07/20092Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Westfield Rd, SwadlincoteSK22V27/08/20051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Westfield Rd, SwadlincoteSK22V03/08/20051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Main Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y30/07/20041Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Main St,Kings Newton,MelbourneSK32Y30/07/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

Scroll to Top