Bug FAQConfused Haploa Moth
Haploa confusa · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
Adult confused haploa moths have cream forewings with brown markings and almost entirely white hindwings. The caterpillars are black with straight yellow dorsal, sub-dorsal, and broad lateral stripes. Caterpillars feed on a variety of plants including hound's tongue, dogwoods, sugar maple, Joe Pye weed, purple loosestrife, Morrow's honeysuckle, and coyote willow.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Caterpillars are black with straight yellow dorsal, sub-dorsal, and broad lateral stripes.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The confused haploa occurs in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Haploa confusa, also called the confused haploa or Lyman's haploa, belongs to the family Erebidae and is found in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 24 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Michigan, Vermont, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire.
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
What do the caterpillars of the confused haploa look like?
The caterpillars are black with straight yellow dorsal, sub-dorsal, and broad lateral stripes.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do confused haploa caterpillars eat?
They feed on hound's tongue, dogwoods, sugar maple, Joe Pye weed, purple loosestrife, Morrow's honeysuckle, and coyote willow.
Source: Wikipedia
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/Haploa_confusa
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.