Lesser Aspen Webworm Moth

Meroptera pravella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pyralidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Lesser Aspen Webworm Moth
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

The lesser aspen webworm moth has forewings about 9 to 10 mm long and belongs to the snout-moth genus Meroptera. It lives in western North America, from British Columbia down through Idaho, Utah, Colorado and eastern Oregon, and the adults fly from May through July. Its caterpillars feed on members of the willow family, especially trembling aspen, and are occasionally found on birch and alder.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Meroptera pravella is a snout-moth species in the genus Meroptera.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

The forewings measure roughly 9 to 10 mm in length.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Larvae feed on Salicaceae species such as trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides). They are occasionally found on birch (Betula) and alder (Alnus) species.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults are on the wing from May to July.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range covers western North America, including British Columbia, Idaho, Utah, Colorado and eastern Oregon.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 16 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts.

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

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Lesser Aspen Webworm Moth photo 2
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Lesser Aspen Webworm Moth photo 3
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Lesser Aspen Webworm Moth photo 4
Photo: Dave, CC BY
Lesser Aspen Webworm Moth photo 5
Photo: Charlie Pavlisich, CC BY

Questions people ask

When are adult lesser aspen webworm moths active?

Adults fly from May through July.

Source: Wikipedia

What do the caterpillars eat?

They feed on willow family plants, especially trembling aspen, and sometimes on birch and alder.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Pyralidae)

Indian-Meal MothIndian-Meal MothPlodia interpunctellaCan damage your homeGreater Wax MothGreater Wax MothGalleria mellonellaMediterranean Flour MothMediterranean Flour MothEphestia kuehniellaCan damage your homeMeal mothMeal mothPyralis farinalisDamages trees, gardens or cropsBee MothBee MothAphomia sociellaNuisance, not dangerousYellow-fringed Dolichomia MothYellow-fringed Dolichomia MothHypsopygia olinalis

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meroptera_pravella

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-29 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-29.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.