Bug FAQFamelica Melipotis Moth
Melipotis famelica · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
The adult has a wingspan of about 42 mm. It occurs from the southern United States through the Caribbean down to Paraguay. The caterpillars eat the plant Leucaena latisiliqua.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan measures roughly 42 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on the leaves of Leucaena latisiliqua.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found from Florida and Texas in the southern U.S. through the Caribbean to Paraguay.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 4 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida, Mississippi, California.
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
Same family (Erebidae)
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Brown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skin
Isabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabella
Virginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skin
Salt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melipotis_famelica
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.