Bug FAQIsophrictis rudbeckiella
Isophrictis rudbeckiella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
It lives in several U.S. states across the central and southern regions and its caterpillars feed inside the flowerheads of Rudbeckia maxima. Adults are active from May through August.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The hindwings are a dark silvery-fuscous color.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 11.5 to 16 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on the flowerheads of Rudbeckia maxima, living inside the burrow or upper stem where they also pupate.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from May to August.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period for adults spans May through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to North America, specifically the United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 13 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Kansas, Mississippi, Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Michigan.
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
What do the caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed on the flowerheads of Rudbeckia maxima and pupate within the plant’s burrow or stem.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see the adult moths?
Adults are active and can be seen from May through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gelechiidae)
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Inverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsDichomeris inversellaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isophrictis_rudbeckiella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.