Bug FAQCinnabar moth
Tyria jacobaeae · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
Also called: The Cinnabar
The cinnabar moth is a small, day-flying insect with pink-red and black wings. It is native to Europe and much of Asia and is used to control ragwort because its larvae eat that weed. Females lay up to 300 eggs on ragwort leaves, and the species overwinters as ground cocoons.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Its name comes from the red mineral cinnabar, matching the red patches on its mainly black wings. Adults fly by day and have distinctive pink-red and black wings.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are about 20 mm long with a wingspan of 34 to 46 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on ragwort and other Senecio species, making both larvae and adults poisonous to many predators.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The moth overwinters as a cocoon on the ground.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It occurs naturally across Europe, western and central Asia, and eastward through the Palearctic to Siberia and China.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 5 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Oregon, Washington, California, Montana, Nevada.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in North America; introduced in United States; introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Erebidae)
Spongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skin
Isabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabella
Virginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skin
Salt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnabar_moth
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.