Gabara distema

Gabara distema · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Gabara distema
Photo: Jeff Wilson, CC BY

Gabara distema is found only in North America, specifically Texas, Arizona, North Carolina and Florida. The larvae are thought to feed on wiregrass.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Larvae probably eat wiregrass.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Gabara distema occurs in Texas, Arizona, North Carolina and Florida.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 9 of 51 states and DC. Most records: North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Gabara distema photo 2
Photo: Luke, CC BY
Gabara distema photo 3
Photo: Alexis Smith, CC BY

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 acreaDamages trees, gardens or crops

Sources

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

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

Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.

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.