Bug FAQAmerican Dun-bar Moth
Cosmia calami · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The American Dun-bar Moth has a wingspan of about 32 mm. It lives across many parts of North America, including several U.S. states such as California, Georgia, and Washington. Its caterpillars are carnivorous, feeding on other geometrid caterpillars that eat oak leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan is roughly 32 mm (1.3 in).
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae are carnivorous and eat geometrid caterpillars that feed on oak (Quercus) species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 44 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Colorado, Texas, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where is the American Dun-bar Moth found?
It occurs in many parts of North America, including several U.S. states such as California, Georgia, and Washington.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the larvae of the American Dun-bar Moth eat?
The larvae feed on other geometrid caterpillars that are eating oak leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmia_calami
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.