Frilly Grass Tubeworm Moth

Acrolophus mycetophagus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Tineidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Frilly Grass Tubeworm Moth
Photo: David Dodd, CC BY

The adult moth’s wings measure about 16 to 17 mm across. The caterpillars probably feed on fungi.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

The wingspan is roughly 0.6 inches (16 to 17 mm).

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina.

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

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Frilly Grass Tubeworm Moth photo 3
Photo: unknown, CC0
Frilly Grass Tubeworm Moth photo 4
Photo: David George, CC BY
Frilly Grass Tubeworm Moth photo 5
Photo: Amber M. King, CC BY
Frilly Grass Tubeworm Moth photo 6
Photo: John P Friel, CC BY

Questions people ask

How large is the frilly grass tubeworm moth?

The adult’s wingspan is about 16 to 17 mm (0.6 inches).

Source: Wikipedia

What do the larvae eat?

The caterpillars are believed to feed on fungi.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Tineidae)

Webbing Clothes MothWebbing Clothes MothTineola bisselliellaCan damage your homeCase-bearing Clothes MothCase-bearing Clothes MothTinea pellionellaCan damage your homeClemens' Grass Tubeworm MothClemens' Grass Tubeworm MothAcrolophus popeanellaEastern Grass Tubeworm MothEastern Grass Tubeworm MothAcrolophus plumifrontellaArcane Grass Tubeworm MothArcane Grass Tubeworm MothAcrolophus arcanellaDetritus MothDetritus MothOpogona omoscopa

Sources

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

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

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

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.