Bug FAQGonioterma mistrella
Gonioterma mistrella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Depressariidae
The moth has a wingspan of about 20 to 23 mm. Adults are on the wing from May through October. It is recorded from many parts of North America, including several U.S. states, Manitoba and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The caterpillars are pink with a dark stripe along the back and have a chestnut-colored head.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan ranges from 20 to 23 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on the grass Phleum pratense.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period for adults spans May through October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is North America, with records from the same states and provinces listed for its habitat.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 23 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Missouri, Maryland, Illinois, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Virginia, Louisiana, Texas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Same family (Depressariidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonioterma_mistrella
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.