Bug FAQLeaf Crumpler Moth and Allies
Acrobasis indigenella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pyralidae
Also called: Leaf Crumpler Moth
Source: Wikipedia
Adults have a wingspan of about 15 to 20 mm and are grey-green with purplish markings on top and a pale reddish-brown head. In the southeastern United States there are two generations each year, and the species overwinters as a larva.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The moth is greyish-green with purplish markings on the upper side and pale grey-green underneath; its head is pale reddish-brown.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 15 to 20 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on apple, quince, plum, cotoneaster, firethorn, hawthorn and loquat.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species overwinters in the larval stage.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to eastern North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 30 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Vermont, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey.
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
What plants do leaf crumpler moth larvae damage?
The larvae feed on apple, quince, plum, cotoneaster, firethorn, hawthorn and loquat, which can harm those garden and orchard plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does this moth have each year?
In the southeastern United States it produces two generations per year.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pyralidae)
Indian-Meal MothPlodia interpunctellaCan damage your home
Greater Wax MothGalleria mellonella
Mediterranean Flour MothEphestia kuehniellaCan damage your home
Meal mothPyralis farinalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bee MothAphomia sociellaNuisance, not dangerous
Yellow-fringed Dolichomia MothHypsopygia olinalisSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrobasis_indigenella
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.