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Fact or Fiction: Moth species not seen in 110 years shows up at Detroit's airport?

Posted at 8:08 PM, May 18, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-18 23:08:34-04

(KGTV) — A story that caught our eye claims a species of moth not seen in 110 years has turned up at Detroit's airport.

It's true.

Last September, a passenger arriving from the Philippines brought seeds for medicinal tea in their luggage.

Inspectors found larvae in the seed pods that eventually hatched into moths with raised black bristles.

Officials couldn't identify the species, so they sent it to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

An etymologist there confirmed this is a species not seen since 1912.