Bug FAQDark Brown Scoparia Moth
Scoparia penumbralis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Crambidae
The dark brown Scoparia moth has a wingspan of about 12 mm. Its forewings are smoky brown-grey with whitish lines edged by narrow dark shades. Adults are active from May through September.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewings are smoky brown-grey with whitish lines edged by narrow dark shades.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan is about 12 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 19 of 51 states and DC. Most records: West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Michigan, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, New York.
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
When are adult dark brown Scoparia moths active?
Adults can be seen from May through September.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the forewings of this moth look like?
They are smoky brown-grey with whitish lines edged by narrow dark shades.
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/Scoparia_penumbralis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.