Bug FAQGold Moth
Basilodes pepita · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The gold moth, Basilodes pepita, belongs to the owlet moth family Noctuidae. It lives in North America. Its caterpillars eat plants in the genus Verbesina.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The gold moth is found in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on plants of the genus Verbesina.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 26 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas, Tennessee.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilodes_pepita
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.