Bug FAQLittle Devil Moth
Dichomeris nonstrigella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
The little devil moth has forewings 7 to 9 mm long and flies from May through July. Its larvae eat the plant Aster shortii. It lives in parts of North America from Nova Scotia down to Maryland and west to Kansas and Arkansas.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Dichomeris nonstrigella, called the little devil, belongs to the Gelechiidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Forewing length ranges from 7 to 9 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It has been recorded in Nova Scotia, Maryland, Michigan, Kansas, Arkansas and Kentucky.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on the plant Aster shortii.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are active and on the wing between May and July.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period for adults is May through July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to North America, spanning from eastern Canada to the central United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 22 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maryland.
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
Where is this moth found?
It occurs in North America, from Nova Scotia to Maryland and west to Kansas and Arkansas.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gelechiidae)
Angoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Black-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscella
Inverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsDichomeris inversella
Pink-washed Aristotelia MothAristotelia roseosuffusella
White Stripe-backed MothArogalea cristifasciella
Burdock Seedhead MothMetzneria lappellaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichomeris_nonstrigella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.