Bug FAQCoffee-loving and Southern Purple Mint Moths
Pyrausta tyralis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Crambidae
Also called: Coffee-loving Pyrausta Moth
The coffee-loving pyrausta moth has a wingspan of about 17 mm (0.67 in). Adults can be seen flying throughout the year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Pyrausta tyralis, known as the coffee-loving pyrausta moth, belongs to the family Crambidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures roughly 17 mm, or about two thirds of an inch.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The species is recorded from many U.S. states, from the northeast to the southwest, and also in Mexico, Venezuela and the Caribbean islands.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on plants such as Psychotria nervosa, Psychotria undata, Bidens connata and various Dahlia species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1854.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults have been observed on the wing all year round.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its distribution also includes Mexico, Venezuela and the West Indies.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 29 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi.
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
Same family (Crambidae)
Box Tree MothCydalima perspectalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Celery Leaftier MothUdea rubigalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Elegant Grass-veneerMicrocrambus elegans
Hawaiian Beet Webworm MothSpoladea recurvalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Garden Grass-veneerChrysoteuchia culmellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bluegrass Webworm MothParapediasia teterrellusDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrausta_tyralis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.