Tinea semifulvella
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Tinea semifulvella is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It is widespread and common in much of the western Palearctic, but seems to be absent from Portugal and the Balkans as well as the outlying islands (e.g. Iceland). The nocturnal adults are on the wing around May to September, depending on the location, and are easily attracted to light sources.
This smallish moth has a wingspan of 14–22 millimetres (0.55–0.87 in) when adult. They are more colorful than usual for the genus Tinea, though their colors usually fade considerably in dead specimens. The forewings are grey with a brownish tinge at the base, and rusty-red in the outer part. They have a black dot on the edge bordering the hindwings. The latter are a paler and purer grey. The body is dusky grey, but the head has a tuft of brick-red hair. The forewings, but especially the hindwings are surrounded by a hairy fringe.
The caterpillars feed on natural fibers, predominantly of animal origin, such as feathers, furs and wool; they have been found in bird nests and were recorded to eat rags and old clothes. But they are not notably synanthropic and generally eat only food that is outdoors; unlike the closely related case-bearing clothes moth (T. pellionella) the present species is rarely if at all recorded as a pest. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Fulvous Clothes Moth sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 536th most-seen of the 818 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Fulvous Clothes Moth in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fulvous Clothes Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Wadden Sea National Park, in our data
Wadden Sea National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Fulvous Clothes Moth sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Fulvous Clothes Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Wadden Sea National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
