Bug FAQGelechia albisparsella
Gelechia albisparsella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
Source: Wikipedia
The moth has a wingspan of about 15 mm. Adults are dark brown with faint ochreous shading and a subtle whitish band near the wing edge. The larvae feed on sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) and skeletonize the leaves, harming the trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are dark brown with faint ochreous tones and sparsely scattered white scales that form a narrow, clouded whitish band near the costal cilia.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan is about 15 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on Platanus occidentalis, skeletonizing the leaves of their host plant.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America, specifically the listed U.S. states.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 19 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Maryland, Arizona, Kentucky, New Jersey, 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
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants do the larvae feed on?
The larvae feed on sycamore trees (Platanus occidentalis) and skeletonize the leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gelechiidae)
Angoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Boxelder Leafworm MothChionodes obscurusella
Hairy, Toothed, and Shining Dichomeris Moths and AlliesDichomeris setosella
Black-smudged Chionodes Moth and AlliesChionodes occidentellaBlack-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscella
Inverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsDichomeris inversellaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelechia_albisparsella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.