Bug FAQChionodes dentella
Chionodes dentella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
The wingspan of Chionodes dentella is about 9 to 10 mm. Its forewings are patterned with black and yellow-white areas, while the hindwings are light yellowish-grey.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The hindwings are light yellowish-grey.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan measures 9 to 10 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, New Mexico, Colorado.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does Chionodes dentella look like?
Its forewings have a distinctive black and yellow-white pattern with two small opposite yellowish-white spots near the tip, and the hindwings are light yellowish-grey.
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_dentella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.