Bug FAQBlack-rimmed Prominent
Pheosia rimosa · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Notodontidae
Also called: Black-rimmed Prominent Moth
Source: Wikipedia
The black-rimmed prominent moth has a wingspan of about 43 to 62 mm. Adults are seen flying from spring through fall across North America, though they are less common in the southeastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Pheosia rimosa is a moth in the Notodontidae family, commonly called the black-rimmed prominent or false-sphinx.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges from 43 to 62 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It occurs coast-to-coast across North America, but is less frequent in the southeastern U.S.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on the leaves of poplar (Populus) and willow (Salix) species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from spring to fall.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The moth is active throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to North America, found from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It belongs to the Notodontidae family, which includes other prominent moths that look similar.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 39 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Minnesota, Vermont, Massachusetts, Colorado, Maine, Wisconsin, New York.
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
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see adult black-rimmed prominent moths?
Adults are flying from spring through fall.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this moth found?
It lives across North America, from coast to coast, but is less common in the southeastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Notodontidae)
White-dotted ProminentNadata gibbosaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Buff-tipPhalera bucephalaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Gluphisia MothGluphisia septentrionis
Pine Processionary-mothThaumetopoea pityocampaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Walnut Caterpillar MothDatana integerrimaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Unicorn ProminentCoelodasys unicornisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pheosia_rimosa
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.