Aglossa Cuprina

The unusual scavenger species Aglossa cuprina, formerly misidentified as Aglossa pinguinalis, is most commonly known as the Grease Moth. It belongs to lepidopteran family, Pyralidae (the snout moths). The grease moth is closely related to the genus Pyralis, and as a result, is usually associated with the meal moth, Pyralis farinalis.

For the past 150 years, Aglossa cuprina has been best known for ingesting the grease produced by the bacteria that feeds on decaying matter, an activity that earned it the common name of grease moth.