Bug FAQChoristostigma zephyralis
Choristostigma zephyralis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Crambidae
The moth has a wingspan of about 23 mm and its forewings are sulphur yellow turning orange-yellow at the tips, with a purple costa that reaches the reniform spot. It lives in North America, having been recorded in California, and its larvae feed on the plant Monardella villosa. Adults are on the wing from April through July.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings are sulphur yellow shading to orange-yellow at the outer edge, with a purple costa that runs to the reniform spot. The orbicular spot is oval and the reniform spot looks like an eight; both are filled with purple and touch the costal stripe. Hindwings are sulphur yellow, showing a subbasal dark line most visible above the inner margin, a small discal dot, a subterminal line, and purplish shading beyond that line.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan is about 23 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in North America, with records from California.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on the plant Monardella villosa.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from April to July.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active during the months of April, May, June, and July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America and has been recorded in California.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
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- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choristostigma_zephyralis
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.