Bug FAQCrowned Slug Moth
Isa textula · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Limacodidae
Also called: Crowned Slug
Source: Wikipedia
The crowned slug moth, also called Isa textula or skiff moth, belongs to the Limacodidae family. It lives in North America, ranging from Minnesota, southern Ontario and Massachusetts down to Florida, Texas, and Mississippi. Its caterpillars eat the leaves of many trees such as oak, cherry, maple, basswood, elm and beech, which can harm those plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Isa textula is the scientific name of the crowned slug moth, also known as the skiff moth.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The moth is found across a broad area of North America from the Upper Midwest and southern Canada down to the Gulf Coast.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on the foliage of oak, cherry, maple, basswood, elm and beech trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes states such as Minnesota, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, Mississippi and the province of southern Ontario.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Another moth, Prolimacodes badia, is also called a skiff moth.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 35 of 51 states and DC. Most records: North Carolina, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Alabama, New York.
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
Questions people ask
What trees do the larvae of the crowned slug moth eat?
They feed on oak, cherry, maple, basswood, elm and beech leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the crowned slug moth found?
It occurs in North America from Minnesota and southern Ontario down to Florida, Texas and Mississippi.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Limacodidae)
Saddleback Caterpillar MothAcharia stimuleaCan sting
Spiny Oak-slug MothEuclea delphiniiVenomous
Yellow-shouldered Slug MothLithacodes fasciolaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Skiff MothProlimacodes badiaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Yellow-collared Slug MothApoda y-inversaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Early Button Slug MothTortricidia testaceaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isa_textula
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.