Bug FAQCommon Hahncappsia Moth
Hahncappsia mancalis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Crambidae
Source: Wikipedia
The common Hahncappsia moth has a wingspan of about 18 mm. It occurs from Maryland west to Illinois, south through Florida, Texas and Arizona, and continues into Mexico and Costa Rica. Its caterpillars eat plants such as pigweed, mint, morning glories, tobacco and dock.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan is roughly 18 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 22 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Arizona, Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Alabama.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where can I find this moth?
It lives from Maryland west to Illinois, south through Florida, Texas and Arizona, and into Mexico and Costa Rica.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do the caterpillars eat?
They feed on pigweed, mint, morning glories, tobacco and dock.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Crambidae)
Box Tree MothCydalima perspectalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Celery Leaftier MothUdea rubigalis
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/Hahncappsia_mancalis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.