Bug FAQGeorgia Dichomeris Moth and Allies
Dichomeris ventrellus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
The Georgia Dichomeris moth has a wingspan of about 17 mm and pale ash-colored forewings with a faint reddish tint, while its hindwings are a shining pale gray.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewings are pale ash-gray with a faint reddish hue. The hindwings are a shining pale gray.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan is about 17 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on chestnut, birch, hornbeam, hazel, hickory and oak species. They roll the leaves of their host plants while feeding.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species was first described by Asa Fitch in 1854.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America, with records spanning from the Atlantic coast to the southwestern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 29 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, North Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, New York, Louisiana, Tennessee, Oklahoma.
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
Same family (Gelechiidae)
Angoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Black-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscella
Inverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsDichomeris inversella
Pink-washed Aristotelia MothAristotelia roseosuffusella
White Stripe-backed MothArogalea cristifasciella
Burdock Seedhead MothMetzneria lappellaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichomeris_ventrella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.