A Caterpillar that Eats Tortoise Shells

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The larva of the tineid moth Ceratophaga vicinella is a scavenger that feeds on the keratin plates of dead gopher tortoises ( Gopherus polyphemus ) in south Florida. The larva makes a multilayered silk tube that extends over part of the shell and into the sandy soil beneath. The mature pupa appears to ratchet its way up the tube by using abdominal spines. Ceratophaga larvae are the only insects that are able to subsist on a diet of solid, dry keratin. The genus Ceratophaga is primarily African; C. vicinella , the only New World species, is possibly a remnant of a more widespread lineage. Unless C. vicinella has another, unknown dietary resource, it is almost certainly an endangered species.