Border Control Win: Customs Agents Discover Rare Invasive Moth in “Medicinal Tea”

An invasive species of moth last spotted in Sri Lanka in 1912 was confiscated by United States federal customs officers at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport — effectively stopping what could have been a major threat to US agriculture.

Thankfully, the species was most likely brought into the United States accidentally, as it is “too obscure to possess the medicinal or aesthetic value that motivates smugglers,” explains Alex Traub for the New York Times. What’s more, the discovery of this moth “is a testament to [customs agents’] important mission of identifying foreign pests and protecting America’s natural resources,” says federal port director Robert Larkin in a statement.

Seed pods were found in a passenger’s bag arriving from the Philippines, who claimed the seeds were to be used for medicinal tea. However, agents found exit holes made by an insect inside the pods and were then able to extract larvae and pupae to be sent off for testing. The larvae matured into moths that eventually had to be sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for further analysis. Once there, entomologist M. Alma Solis determined the moths were Salma brachyscopalis Hampson, a species last seen over 100 years ago.