The "very flashy" moths were found in the luggage of a traveler arriving from the Philippines, authorities said.
Highlights
- A species of moth not seen since 1912 was rediscovered last year at Detroit airport.
- The “very flashy” moths were found in the luggage of a traveler arriving from the Philippines.
- The encounter began in September 2021, when agriculture specialists examined the passenger’s bag and found seeds that he said were for a medicinal tea.
- Officials couldn’t identify the moths’ species, so they were sent to the U.S.
- Department of Agriculture, where an expert confirmed that they belonged to a species that had not been seen since the animals were first described in 1912, CBP said.
- The discovery is a testament to the mission of identifying foreign pests and protecting America’s natural resources, officials said.