Bug FAQFire-flag Plume Moth
Sphenarches anisodactylus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pterophoridae
The fire-flag plume moth has a wingspan of about 10 mm. Its caterpillars eat the buds and flowers of many Fabaceae and other garden plants, including beans, cacao, hibiscus and lantana.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan is roughly 10 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Other recorded food plants include hibiscus, lantana, cacao, passionflower, snapdragons and various ornamental and garden species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
In the United States it has been recorded in Florida and Mississippi.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Arkansas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants do the larvae eat?
The caterpillars feed on flower buds and flowers of many legumes and garden plants such as beans, hibiscus, lantana, cacao and snapdragons.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this moth found in the United States?
It has been recorded in Florida and Mississippi.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pterophoridae)
Morning-glory Plume MothEmmelina monodactyla
White Plume MothPterophorus pentadactylaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown Silver-linePetrophora chlorosata
Grape and Sheppard's Plume MothsGeina periscelidactylusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Yarrow Plume MothGillmeria pallidactylaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Plain, Elliott's, and Habeck's Plume MothsHellinsia homodactylusSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphenarches_anisodactylus
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.