Bug FAQGnorimoschema saphirinella
Gnorimoschema saphirinella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
Gnorimoschema saphirinella is a small gelechiid moth found throughout North America. Its larvae mine the leaves of several ragweed species, while adults fly from February to October.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Gnorimoschema saphirinella belongs to the moth family Gelechiidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Male forewings are about 4.5 to 6 mm long and females 4.2 to 5.9 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae mine the leaves of ragweeds such as Ambrosia chamissonis, A. confertifolia and A. psilostachya.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The moth was first described by Vactor Tousey Chambers in 1875. Adults are on the wing from February through October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is widespread throughout North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 19 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, New Mexico, California, Colorado, Arizona, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska.
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 caterpillars mine the leaves of ragweeds like Ambrosia chamissonis, A. confertifolia and A. psilostachya.
Source: Wikipedia
How large are these moths?
Forewing length ranges from about 4.5 to 6 mm in males and 4.2 to 5.9 mm in females.
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/Gnorimoschema_saphirinella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.