Bug FAQEthmia semiombra
Ethmia semiombra · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Ethmiidae
Ethmia semiombra is a small moth with forewings 9.2 to 11.7 mm long; the front half of each forewing is dark while the back half is whitish with gray tones. It lives in Texas and Mexico, where adults appear in several months of the year, suggesting multiple generations.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewings are dark on the costal side and whitish-gray on the dorsal side. The hindwings start whitish near the body and become pale brown toward the tip.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Forewing length ranges from 9.2 to 11.7 mm (about 0.36 to 0.46 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in Texas and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae probably feed on the plant Ehretia elliptica.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
There are likely several generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight periods include February, May, June, September in Texas and July in Tamaulipas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes Texas and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of Ethmia semiombra eat?
The larvae probably feed on the plant Ehretia elliptica.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Ethmiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethmia_semiombra
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.