Bug FAQLadder-backed Ethmia Moth
Ethmia delliella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Ethmiidae
The ladder-backed ethmia moth has white forewings with black, metallic-steel-blue markings and white hindwings that turn brown toward the tip.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings are white with black markings that reflect a metallic steel-blue color. Hindwings are white, becoming brown toward the apex.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The forewing length ranges from 9 to 12 mm (about 0.35 to 0.47 in).
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on the plants Ehretia elliptica and Cordia alliodora.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
There are probably several generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight season runs March to October in Texas and April to August elsewhere.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes the Gulf region of Texas and Mexico extending south along the western coastal plain to Chiapas, El Salvador and Costa Rica.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 2 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Oklahoma.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When are adult ladder-backed ethmia moths active?
In Texas they fly from March through October, while in other parts of their range they are active from April to August.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Ethmiidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethmia_delliella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.