Bug FAQConstricted Twirler
Theisoa constrictella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
Also called: Constricted Twirler Moth
The Constricted Twirler lives in the United States from Texas and Florida up to Maryland and Kentucky. Its larvae eat the leaves of elm trees (Ulmus species).
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on species of elm (Ulmus).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found in North America, recorded from Texas to Florida and north to Maryland and Kentucky.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 26 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Maryland.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Gelechiidae)
Angoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Black-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscella
Inverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsDichomeris inversella
Pink-washed Aristotelia MothAristotelia roseosuffusella
White Stripe-backed MothArogalea cristifasciella
Burdock Seedhead MothMetzneria lappellaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theisoa_constrictella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.