Faint-spotted Palthis Moth

Palthis asopialis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae

Also called: Faint-spotted Palthis

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Faint-spotted Palthis Moth
Photo: Nick Block, CC BY

The faint-spotted Palthis moth has a wingspan of about 2 cm and is found across the eastern United States and into Canada, from Florida up to Ontario and west to Texas. Its caterpillars feed on a variety of plants including Bidens, beans, corn and oak leaves. Adults are on the wing from winter through fall, with at least two generations in the northeast and more in the south.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

This species is known as Palthis asopialis, the faint-spotted Palthis moth.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Its wingspan ranges from 19 to 23 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults fly from January to October, depending on location.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range is the same region of North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 36 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Maryland, Ohio, Alabama, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee.

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

JFMAMJJASOND

Source: GBIF

More photos

Faint-spotted Palthis Moth photo 3
Photo: Bill Keim, CC BY
Faint-spotted Palthis Moth photo 4
Photo: unknown, CC0
Faint-spotted Palthis Moth photo 5
Photo: Laura Gaudette, CC BY
Faint-spotted Palthis Moth photo 6
Photo: Jeff Clark, CC BY

Questions people ask

Are they a garden pest?

Their larvae can feed on beans, corn, oak and Bidens, so they may affect those plants if present in large numbers.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Erebidae)

Spongy MothSpongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or cropsFall Webworm MothFall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or cropsBrown-tail MothBrown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skinIsabella Tiger MothIsabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabellaVirginian Tiger MothVirginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skinSalt Marsh MothSalt Marsh MothEstigmene acrea

Sources

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

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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.