Bug FAQDubious Tiger Moth
Spilosoma dubia · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
The dubious tiger moth has a wingspan of about 3.2 to 3.8 cm and lives in aspen parkland and southern boreal forests. It is native to southeastern Canada west to Alberta and the eastern United States, and the adults fly from mid-May to mid-June. Its caterpillars have been recorded feeding on black cherry (Prunus serotina).
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Spilosoma dubia, called the dubious tiger moth, belongs to the family Erebidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 32 to 38 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits aspen parkland and southern boreal forest areas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae have been recorded feeding on black cherry (Prunus serotina).
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from mid-May to mid-June.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from mid-May through mid-June.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 29 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Michigan, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Same family (Erebidae)
Spongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skin
Isabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabella
Virginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skin
Salt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spilosoma_dubia
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.