Black-dotted Brown

Cissusa spadix · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae

Also called: Black-dotted Brown Moth

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Black-dotted Brown
Photo: Shawn Taylor, CC BY

The adult has a wingspan of roughly 35 mm. It occurs from Ontario and Quebec down through most of the United States, reaching as far west as Arizona and as far east as Georgia.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Wingspan is about 35 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Found from Ontario and Quebec, through most of the U.S., to Arizona and Georgia.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 32 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Wisconsin.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Black-dotted Brown photo 3
Photo: Sam Kieschnick, CC BY
Black-dotted Brown photo 4
Photo: Joshua Ebright, CC BY
Black-dotted Brown photo 5
Photo: Greghig Jirheg, CC BY
Black-dotted Brown photo 6
Photo: Raven Dandridge, CC BY

Same family (Erebidae)

Spongy MothSpongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or cropsFall Webworm MothFall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or cropsBrown-tail MothBrown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skinIsabella Tiger MothIsabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabellaVirginian Tiger MothVirginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skinSalt Marsh MothSalt Marsh MothEstigmene acrea

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cissusa_spadix

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.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.