First record of Lepidoptera from Ural owl nests in Japan

Abstract

Four species of Tineidae (Niditinea baryspilas (Meyrick), Monopis pavlovskii (Zagulajev), Mon. flavidorsalis (Matsumura), Mon. sp.) and one species of Oecophoridae (Martyringa ussuriella Lvovsky) were reared from the detritus found in four Ural owl (Strix uralensis Pallas) (Strigidae) nest boxes that had been abandoned by young birds in Wakayama, Osaka, and Shiga Prefectures, Japan. This is the first report of moths from owl nests in Japan. Tineid larvae feed on keratin sources in the detritus of the nest boxes that include pellets, fur, and feathers; the oecophorid possibly feed on decaying wood chips. Biological information regarding N. baryspilas and Mon. pavlovskii are presented for the first time, accompanied by photographs of their immature stages. It is likely that owl nests provide a suitable habitat for keratophagous tineids in nature because of a wide variety of keratin sources in the nests.