Bug FAQChionodes abella
Chionodes abella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
The moth has a wingspan of about 15 mm. Its forewings are mostly dark brown with a pure white tip, and the hindwings are light brown. It lives in western North America, from Idaho and southwestern British Columbia down to Colorado, Texas and California, and its caterpillars feed on several conifer species.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewings are white but heavily overlaid with dark brown, leaving only the outer third pure white, and the hindwings are light brown.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan measures roughly 15 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It has been recorded in Idaho, southwestern British Columbia, Colorado, Texas and California.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on Douglas-fir, several true firs, and on lodgepole and Monterey pines.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America, specifically the western United States and southwestern Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 10 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, California, New Mexico, Montana, Washington, Utah, Nevada, Texas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the caterpillars eat?
The caterpillars feed on Douglas-fir, Abies species, and Pinus species such as lodgepole and Monterey pine.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gelechiidae)
Angoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Boxelder Leafworm MothChionodes obscurusella
Hairy, Toothed, and Shining Dichomeris Moths and AlliesDichomeris setosella
Black-smudged Chionodes Moth and AlliesChionodes occidentellaBlack-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscella
Inverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsDichomeris inversellaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chionodes_abella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-29 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-29.