Editing Lepidoptera (section)

=== Other biological interactions ===

A few species of Lepidoptera are secondary consumers, or [[predator]]s. These species typically prey upon the eggs of other insects, aphids, scale insects, or ant larvae.<ref name="Resh and Carde"/>{{Rp|567}} Some caterpillars are cannibals, and others prey on caterpillars of other species (e.g. Hawaiian ''[[Eupithecia]]'' ). Those of the 15 species in ''Eupithecia'' that mirror inchworms, are the only known species of butterflies and moths that are ambush predators.<ref name="pierce">{{cite journal|author=Pierce, N. E.|year=1995|title=Predatory and parasitic Lepidoptera: Carnivores living on plants|journal=Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society|volume= 49|issue=4|pages= 412–453}}</ref> Four species are known to eat snails. For example, the Hawaiian caterpillar (''[[Hyposmocoma molluscivora]]'') uses silk traps, in a manner similar to that of spiders, to capture certain species of snails (typically [[Tornatellides]]).<ref name="Rubinoff"/>

Larvae of some species of moths in the [[Tineidae]], [[Gelechiidae]], and [[Noctuidae]], besides others, feed on [[detritus]], or dead organic material, such as fallen leaves and fruit, fungi, and animal products, and turn it into [[humus]].<ref name="Resh and Carde"/>{{Rp|567}} Well-known species include the [[Tineidae|cloth moth]]s (''[[Tineola bisselliella]]'', ''[[Tinea pellionella]]'', and ''[[Trichophaga tapetzella]]''), which feed on detritus containing [[keratin]], including [[hair]], [[feather]]s, [[cobweb]]s, [[bird nest]]s (particularly of [[domestic pigeon]]s, ''Columba livia domestica'') and fruits or vegetables. These species are important to ecosystems as they remove substances that would otherwise take a long time to decompose.<ref name="Garbe (1994)">{{cite book| last= Grabe| first=Albert| title=Eigenartige Geschmacksrichtungen bei Kleinschmetterlingsraupen ("Strange tastes among micromoth caterpillars")| url=http://www.biologiezentrum.at/pdf_frei_remote/ZOEV_27_0105-0109.pdf| series=27| year= 1942| language=de| pages=105–109}}</ref>

In 2015 it was reported that wasp [[bracovirus]] DNA was present in Lepidoptera such as monarch butterflies, silkworms and moths.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Gasmi|first1=Laila|last2=Boulain|first2=Helene|last3=Gauthier|first3=Jeremy|last4=Hua-Van|first4=Aurelie|last5=Musset|first5=Karine|last6=Jakubowska|first6=Agata K.|last7=Aury|first7=Jean-Marc|last8=Volkoff|first8=Anne-Nathalie|last9=Huguet|first9=Elisabeth|date=17 September 2015|title=Recurrent Domestication by Lepidoptera of Genes from Their Parasites Mediated by Bracoviruses|journal=PLOS Genet|volume=11|issue=9|pages=e1005470|doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.1005470|pmc=4574769|pmid=26379286 |doi-access=free }}</ref> These were described in some newspaper articles as examples of a naturally occurring [[genetically engineered]] insects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/44016/title/Parasite-s-Genes-Persist-in-Host-Genomes/|title=Parasite's Genes Persist in Host Genomes {{!}} The Scientist Magazine®|last=Shaikh-Lesko|first=Rina|date=17 September 2015|website=The Scientist|access-date=13 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221235759/http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view%2FarticleNo%2F44016%2Ftitle%2FParasite-s-Genes-Persist-in-Host-Genomes%2F|archive-date=21 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>