Dasypyga alternosquamella

Dasypyga alternosquamella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pyralidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Dasypyga alternosquamella
Photo: Dave, CC BY

Its larvae feed only on dwarf mistletoe species, first on the flowers and shoot tips and later mining inside the shoots.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Larvae eat dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium) species such as A. vaginatum subsp. cryptopodum and A. campylopodum.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

It occurs in western North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah.

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

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Dasypyga alternosquamella photo 2
Photo: jimeckert49, CC BY
Dasypyga alternosquamella photo 3
Photo: Cricket Raspet, CC BY
Dasypyga alternosquamella photo 4
Photo: Adrienne van den Beemt, CC BY
Dasypyga alternosquamella photo 5
Photo: Jackie T, CC BY

Same family (Pyralidae)

Indian-Meal MothIndian-Meal MothPlodia interpunctellaCan damage your homeGreater Wax MothGreater Wax MothGalleria mellonellaMediterranean Flour MothMediterranean Flour MothEphestia kuehniellaCan damage your homeMeal mothMeal mothPyralis farinalisDamages trees, gardens or cropsBee MothBee MothAphomia sociellaNuisance, not dangerousYellow-fringed Dolichomia MothYellow-fringed Dolichomia MothHypsopygia olinalis

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasypyga_alternosquamella

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.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.