Bug FAQGreater Sweet Potato Webworm Moth
Herpetogramma fluctuosalis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Crambidae
The adult moth has a wingspan of about 22 to 25 millimeters. It occurs from Maryland down the Atlantic coast to Florida and westward to Texas, as well as in the West Indies and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are active from April through July and again in October and December in Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan measures roughly 22 to 25 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found across the West Indies, Mexico, and the United States from Maryland to Florida and west to Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on Boehmeria cylindrica and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas).
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In Florida, adults appear during April-July and again in October and December.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes the West Indies, Mexico, and the United States, recorded from Maryland to Florida and west to Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 22 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Maryland, North Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Virginia, Arizona.
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
Questions people ask
What plants do the larvae eat?
The caterpillars feed on Boehmeria cylindrica and sweet potato.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Crambidae)
Box Tree MothCydalima perspectalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Celery Leaftier MothUdea rubigalis
Elegant Grass-veneerMicrocrambus elegans
Hawaiian Beet Webworm MothSpoladea recurvalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Garden Grass-veneerChrysoteuchia culmellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bluegrass Webworm MothParapediasia teterrellusDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpetogramma_fluctuosalis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.