White-shouldered house moth

Endrosis sarcitrella, the white‑shouldered house moth: adults (imagines) are fawn‑colored, with the head, mouthparts, and thorax clothed in dense white scales, giving the diagnostic “white‑shouldered” aspect. Wingspan 15–20 mm. Labial palps distinctly upcurved. The larvae are free‑living caterpillars, creamy white with a reddish head capsule, reaching about 12 mm when fully grown (final instar).

Damage in stored grain is not distinctive. The larvae (caterpillars) spin silken shelters as they feed, laying down webbing that forms small tubes or mats among kernels. Feeding involves superficial grazing and tunneling, which produces irregularly shaped perforations in the infested commodity—ragged holes and pitted areas on or within kernels. These silk-built retreats plus uneven feeding scars downgrade visual quality and signal active infestation.

Signs of infestation by Endrosis sarcitrella (L.)—the white-shouldered house moth—in stored grain include: - Agglomerated kernels: many grains bound together by fine silken webbing. - Silken webbing: irregular threads/sheets within the grain mass, across fines, and along walls or bag seams. - Frass: powdery to granular fecal pellets intermixed with webbing and dust. - Feeding traces: superficial scarring of germ/bran on broken kernels and spillages, with silk-bound powdery accumulations. - Life stages: cream larvae with dark head capsules, silken pupal cocoons, and shed larval exuviae in crevices. - Adults nearby: small mottled-brown moths with a conspicuous white “shoulder” (thoracic scales) resting on walls or near lights. These signs are consistent with E. sarcitrella activity in stores but are not strictly diagnostic; confirmation should rely on larval/adult morphology or targeted monitoring.

Endrosis sarcitrella (white‑shouldered house moth) follows a holometabolous cycle suited to grain stores. After mating, females oviposit in crevices on or near food. Eggs hatch to larvae that feed within residues and fines; successful development requires very high relative humidity (~80%). Larvae progress through successive instars, then pupate within the food matrix or in nearby harborages. The adult (imago) ecloses, disperses within the storage environment, mates, and resumes oviposition—sustaining populations wherever humid microclimates and food debris persist.

Detritivorous and synanthropic, Endrosis sarcitrella prefers granaries and storage facilities with old grain residues, dust, and poor sanitation, where larvae exploit spillage and detritus in crevices and debris.

“Aucun” means “no,” “none,” or “not any” in English, depending on context.