Mesquite Webworm Moth

Friseria cockerelli · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae

Also called: Mesquite Web Worm

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Mesquite Webworm Moth
Photo: Adrienne van den Beemt, CC BY

The mesquite webworm moth has a wingspan of about 15 to 16.5 mm and light yellow-brown forewings with dark markings, including a large dark patch near the base on the dorsal edge.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

A large dark brown patch appears on the dorsal edge near the wing base.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

The moth’s wingspan ranges from 15 to 16.5 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

The larvae feed on plants of the genus Prosopis.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Adults are mainly on the wing from April to September.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

The flight period for adults spans April through September.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its range includes Mexico and the southern United States.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Oklahoma, Utah, Maryland, Colorado.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Mesquite Webworm Moth photo 2
Photo: Annika Lindqvist, CC BY
Mesquite Webworm Moth photo 3
Photo: John Rosford, CC BY
Mesquite Webworm Moth photo 4
Photo: ashleyrsteel, CC BY
Mesquite Webworm Moth photo 5
Photo: Frankie Simmons, CC BY

Questions people ask

What do the larvae eat?

The larvae feed on Prosopis species.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Gelechiidae)

Angoumois Grain MothAngoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or cropsBlack-smudged Chionodes MothBlack-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscellaInverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsInverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsDichomeris inversellaPink-washed Aristotelia MothPink-washed Aristotelia MothAristotelia roseosuffusellaWhite Stripe-backed MothWhite Stripe-backed MothArogalea cristifasciellaBurdock Seedhead MothBurdock Seedhead MothMetzneria lappella

Sources

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

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.

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.