Dovecot Moth Tinea columbariella

Originally given the vernacular name Eaves Clothes Moth but this species is not a threat to anyone's clothes. The latest published vernacular names corrects this mis-association. According to Norfolk Moths, there were four records of this species in the county between 1874 and 1899 but none after that until the one below in 2026.

This appeared in my garden moth trap. The Common Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella is a permanent fixture in my house and I occasionally trap them outdoors in the moth trap as well, and I initially supposed that that's what this one was. On a closer look I felt it might be something different, not least because it had a faint suggestion of a discal spot. It seemed too pale and plain for Tinea pellionella but I wondered if it could be columbariella? That seemed fanciful so I put it to one side to dissect in due course, more than half-expecting it would turn out to be bisselliella or perhaps a pale, plain pellionella. When I eventually dissected it I was delighted to find that in fact it was columbariella, the genitalia of which are quite distinctive.

male Dovecot Moth Tinea columbariella showing genitalia, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 26th June 2026