Giant sunflower borer moth

Papaipema maritima · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae

Also called: Maritime Sunflower Borer Moth, Maritime Sunflower Borer

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Giant sunflower borer moth
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

The maritime sunflower borer moth was first described in 1909. It occurs in North America. Its larvae bore into the stems of giant sunflower, creating galls.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Papaipema maritima is found in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 16 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana.

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

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Giant sunflower borer moth photo 2
Photo: Rose Zappa, CC BY
Giant sunflower borer moth photo 3
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Giant sunflower borer moth photo 4
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

Same family (Noctuidae)

Ipsilon Dart MothIpsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or cropsFall Armyworm MothFall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or cropsArmy Cutworm MothArmy Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or cropsLarge Yellow UnderwingLarge Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSilver ΥSilver ΥAutographa gammaAmerican DaggerAmerican DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skin

Sources

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

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.