Achroia grisella
(Fabricius, 1794) · speciesAt a glance
Sources9 archives
Databases and archives Achroia grisella's data was compiled from.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation8 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility3 075 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI83 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics94 specimens↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinegenome & karyotype↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗Every layer below draws on the sources above — open one to explore it, or use ← → to move between tabs.
The lesser wax moth (Achroia grisella) is a small moth of the snout moth family (Pyralidae) that belongs to the subfamily Galleriinae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1794. Adults are about 0.5 inches (13 mm) in length and have a distinct yellow head with a silver-grey or beige body. Lesser wax moths are common in most parts of the world, except in areas with cold climates. Their geographic spread was aided by humans who inadvertently introduced them to many regions worldwide. The mating systems of the lesser wax moth are well researched because they involve sound production. Lesser wax males produce ultrasonic pulses in order to attract females. Females seek the most attractive males and base their decisions on characteristics of the male sound. While sex pheromones are also emitted by the males, male calling is more effective in attracting mates. Because lesser wax moths eat unoccupied honey bee combs, they are considered pests to bees and beekeepers. However, unoccupied combs can harbor harmful pathogens that inflict damage to neighboring insects. By eating the combs, the moths can reduce the harm to insects of that region and provide a clean space for other organisms to inhabit.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
No structured trait data for this taxon yet.
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Achroia grisella has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
Besides the big genome in the nucleus, cells carry a small, circular loop of DNA inside the cell's energy factories — the mitochondria. It is inherited almost only from the mother and is a leftover from ancient bacteria that moved into the cell. The mitochondrial markers above (ND*, COX, CYTB…) are read from exactly this loop. Outer ring = one strand, inner ring = the other.
The complete instruction manual Achroia grisella carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
Sequencing statusassembly quality — how far to trust these numbers
Assembly level tells you how finished the sequence is — from fragmented contigs, through scaffolds, up to a full chromosome-level assembly. BUSCO % estimates completeness: the share of genes expected to be present that were actually found. These describe the data quality, not the organism.
Record type3 075 records
Range
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Holding institutions22 of 55 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
| Institution | Specimens |
|---|---|
| Helsinki, FI | 363 |
| DanishLepidopterologicalSocietylocation not on record | 154 |
| Zoological Museum of the University of Chittagong, Bangladeshlocation not on record | 35 |
| Zürich, CH | 32 |
| Mississippi State, US | 32 |
| Washington, US | 27 |
| Auckland, NZ | 26 |
| NHMOlocation not on record | 26 |
| Instytut Systematyki i Ewolucji Zwierząt Polskiej Akademii Nauklocation not on record | 22 |
| The University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobagolocation not on record | 21 |
| MZLUlocation not on record | 19 |
| Natural History Museum Rotterdamlocation not on record | 19 |
| Tartu, EE | 18 |
| Provincia di Livornolocation not on record | 17 |
| DPIlocation not on record | 14 |
| SLU Artdatabankenlocation not on record | 13 |
| Salzburg, AT | 12 |
| Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznańlocation not on record | 10 |
| Nijmegen, NL | 10 |
| Durban Natural Science Museumlocation not on record | 8 |
| San Diego, US | 8 |
| Natick, US | 6 |
| St. Paul, US | 5 |
| University of Alberta Museums (UAM)location not on record | 5 |
| ZMAAlocation not on record | 4 |
| Stockholm, SE | 3 |
| Ugentlocation not on record | 3 |
| Philadelphia, US | 3 |
| New Haven, US | 2 |
| Oregon State Arthropod Collectionlocation not on record | 2 |
| ZSMlocation not on record | 2 |
| NMBU:MINAlocation not on record | 2 |
| ZAF-UMUlocation not on record | 2 |
| Australian National Insect Collectionlocation not on record | 2 |
| University of Kaiserslauternlocation not on record | 2 |
| CBDClocation not on record | 2 |
| South Kensington, GB | 2 |
| Centre for Biodiversity Genomicslocation not on record | 2 |
| Georgia Museum of Natural Historylocation not on record | 2 |
| Philadelphia, US | 1 |
| East Lansing, US | 1 |
| IAWlocation not on record | 1 |
| Kuopio, FI | 1 |
| Sagamihara, JP | 1 |
| New Zealand Arthropod Collectionlocation not on record | 1 |
| Natural History Museum, Londonlocation not on record | 1 |
| Rovaniemi, FI | 1 |
| Santa Cruz, US | 1 |
| Santa Barbara Museum of Natural Historylocation not on record | 1 |
| Research Collection of Peter Lichtmanneckerlocation not on record | 1 |
| Essig Museum of Entomologylocation not on record | 1 |
| Mississippi Entomological Museumlocation not on record | 1 |
| neflocation not on record | 1 |
| Vernal, US | 1 |
| ASUlocation not on record | 1 |
Where the DNA of Achroia grisella was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Where its DNA was found
How strong is each trace?
Modelled climatemodelled
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.