CreatureData

Waxworm

Plodia interpunctella (Hübner, 1813)

Status not recordedbutterflies and moths

The waxworm (Plodia interpunctella) is a species in the family Pyralidae, order Lepidoptera.

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Quick facts about the waxworm

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the waxworm live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the waxworm as introduced in 18 countries, and flagged as invasive in 2 of them.

  1. Swedeninvasive
  2. United Arab Emiratesinvasive
  3. Austria
  4. Belarus
  5. Bulgaria
  6. China
  7. Denmark
  8. Estonia
  9. France
  10. Germany
  11. Ireland
  12. Japan
  13. Netherlands
  14. Russia
  15. Slovenia
  16. South Africa
  17. United States
  18. Venezuela

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the waxworm endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the waxworm classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumArthropoda
  3. classInsecta
  4. orderLepidoptera
  5. familyPyralidae
  6. genusPlodia
  7. SpeciesPlodia interpunctella (Hübner, 1813)

Synonyms Ephestia glycinivora, Ephestia glycinivorella, Ephestia interpunctella, Phycis interpunctella, Plodia americana, Plodia castaneella, Plodia glycinivora, Plodia glycinivorella, Plodia interpunctella var. castaneella, Plodia latercula, Plodia zeae, Tinea interpunctalis, Tinea interpunctella, Tinea zeae, Unadilla latercula

Other names and names in other languages (54)
  • Flour mothEnglish
  • Grain mothEnglish
  • Indian meal mothEnglish
  • Indian-meal mothEnglish
  • MüslimølEnglish
  • Pantry mothEnglish
  • Weevil mothEnglish
  • عثة الطحين الهنديةArabic
  • Arna índia de la farinaCatalan
  • zavíječ paprikovýCzech
  • Gwyfyn Blawd IndiaWelsh
  • KakaomølDanish
  • HausmotteGerman
  • Σκόρος ΤροφίμωνGreek
  • palomilla de alacenaSpanish
  • lõuna-aidaleedikEstonian
  • keittiökoisaFinnish
  • KornmølurFaroese
  • Pyrale des fruits secsFrench
  • עשנור הקמחHebrew
  • Bakrenasti moljacCroatian
  • aszalványmolyHungarian
  • Tarma del ciboItalian
  • ノシメマダラメイガJapanese
  • 화랑곡나방Korean
  • Pietinis ugniukasLithuanian
  • Pārtikas svilnisLatvian
  • tørrfruktsmalmottNorwegian Bokmål
  • VruchtmotDutch
  • mklik rodzynkowiecPolish
  • Traça-Indiana-da-FarinhaPortuguese
  • Южная амбарная огнёвкаRussian
  • vijačka paprikováSlovak
  • köksmottSwedish
  • Kuru meyve güvesiTurkish
  • Кінчатка збіжжеваUkrainian
  • 印度穀蛾Chinese
  • Gwyfynod Blawd IndiaWelsh
  • FigenhalvmølDanish
  • Tofarvet frøhalvmølDanish
  • Tofarvet frømølDanish
  • Tofarvet kakaomølDanish
  • DörrobstmotteGerman
  • KornmotteGerman
  • VorratsmotteGerman
  • Πλοδία η στικτήGreek
  • Pyrale indienne de la farineFrench
  • Teigne des fruits secsFrench
  • Tarma della pastaItalian
  • Tignola fasciata del granoItalian
  • Indische meelmotDutch
  • Omacnica spichrzankaPolish
  • fikonmottSwedish
  • indiskt mjölmottSwedish

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the waxworm

Other species in the same genus Plodia.

CompareWaxworm vs Plodia dolorosaWaxworm vs Plodia gloriosa

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

Is the waxworm an invasive species?

In some places. The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species flags the waxworm as invasive in 2 countries: Sweden and United Arab Emirates. It lists it as introduced in 18 in all.

What kind of animal is the waxworm?

The waxworm (Plodia interpunctella) belongs to the family Pyralidae in the order Lepidoptera.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-13. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Waxworm (Plodia interpunctella). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/waxworm

MLA

“Waxworm (Plodia interpunctella).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/waxworm.

BibTeX
@misc{waxworm_2026,
  title = {Waxworm (Plodia interpunctella)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/waxworm},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-13}
}