Bug FAQCotton stem moth
Platyedra subcinerea · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
Also called: Moth, Mallow Groundling
The cotton stem moth has a wingspan of about 14 to 21 mm. It lives in wet meadows, marshes and gardens. Its larvae feed on plants such as common pellitory, nettles, marshmallow, thuringian mallow and common mallow.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure 14 to 21 mm across the wings.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are found in wet meadows, marshes and garden areas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs throughout most of Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 9 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Oregon, Washington, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Michigan, Massachusetts, New York.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in United States; introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants do cotton stem moth larvae eat?
The larvae feed on common pellitory, nettles, marshmallow, thuringian mallow and common mallow.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the cotton stem moth found?
It lives in wet meadows, marshes and gardens across most of Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
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/Platyedra_subcinerea
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.