Bug FAQLeucospilapteryx venustella
Leucospilapteryx venustella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gracillariidae
The adult moth has a wingspan of about six millimetres. It is found in eastern Canada and several eastern and mid-western U.S. states. Its caterpillars mine the leaves of Ageratina and Eupatorium species.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan is roughly six millimetres.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on the leaves of Ageratina ageratoides, Ageratina altissima and Eupatorium urticifolium, creating leaf mines.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 23 of 51 states and DC. Most records: North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio.
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 feed on?
The larvae mine the leaves of Ageratina ageratoides, Ageratina altissima and Eupatorium urticifolium.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gracillariidae)
Horse-chestnut LeafminerCameraria ohridellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Aspen Serpentine Leafminer MothPhyllocnistis populiellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Phyllocnistis vitegenella complexPhyllocnistis vitegenellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Locust Digitate Leafminer MothParectopa robiniellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Poison Ivy Leaf-miner MothCameraria guttifinitella
Phyllocnistis insignisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucospilapteryx_venustella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.