Bug FAQDouble-toothed Prominent
Nerice bidentata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Notodontidae
Also called: Double-toothed Prominent Moth
Source: Wikipedia
Adults have a wingspan of about 30 to 40 mm and show chalky-green markings that look like the edges of elm leaves. Adults fly from April to September (May to August in the north) with one generation per year, and larvae are present from June to October.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The moth’s markings are chalky-green and resemble the leaf edges of its host plant.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 30 to 40 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on the leaves of elm trees (Ulmus species).
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from April to September, with a second flight period from May to August in northern areas, producing one generation per year. Larvae can be found from June through October.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The species is active from April to September, and May to August in the north.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range covers eastern Canada and the eastern United States, extending west to Texas and north to Saskatchewan.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 38 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Connecticut, Michigan, Texas, Vermont, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts.
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
When are the adult moths active?
Adults fly from April to September, and from May to August in northern areas.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Notodontidae)
White-dotted ProminentNadata gibbosaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Buff-tipPhalera bucephalaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Gluphisia MothGluphisia septentrionis
Pine Processionary-mothThaumetopoea pityocampaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Walnut Caterpillar MothDatana integerrimaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Unicorn ProminentCoelodasys unicornisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerice_bidentata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.