See also - List of Moths of Cyprus you will find in this blog (Lepidoptera)
The Indian mealmoth (Plodia interpunctella), alternatively spelled Indianmeal moth, is a pyraloid moth of the family Pyralidae. Alternative common names are weevil moth, and pantry moth; less specifically, it may be referred to as flour moth or grain moth. The almond moth (Cadra cautella) is commonly confused with the Indian mealmoth.
Its larvae (caterpillars) are commonly known as waxworms like those of its relatives, though they are not the particular waxworms often bred as animal food. They are a common grain-feeding pest found around the world, feeding on cereals and similar products.
Adults are 8–10 mm in length with 16– to 20-mm wingspans. The outer half of their fore wings are bronze, copper, or dark gray in color, while the upper half are yellowish-gray, with a dark band at the intersection between the two. The larvae are off-white with brown heads. There are 5-7 larval instars. When these larvae mature, they are usually about 12 mm long.[4] "They have five pairs of well developed prolegs that help them move considerable distances to pupate.
The entire lifecycle of this species may take 30 to 300 days. Female moths lay between 60 and 400 eggs on a food surface, which are ordinarily smaller than 0.5 mm and not sticky. The eggs hatch in 2 to 14 days. The larval stage lasts from 2 to 41 weeks, depending on the temperature.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photos Geri , 15/10/ 2014 by George Konstantinou
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