Bug FAQMetopluera potosi
Metopleura potosi · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
Metopleura potosi has a wingspan of about 30 to 36 mm. It is known only from San Luis Potosí in Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewings are ochreous with lighter whitish-ochreous streaks along the veins. A blackish-fuscous streak runs obliquely outward from near the base of the costa across half the wing. Near the apical fourth on the dorsal side there is a poorly defined blackish streak parallel to the termen. A series of faint dark dots line the apical and terminal edge.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure 30 to 36 mm across the wings.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
This species is only recorded from the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 2 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Texas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
What does Metopleura potosi look like?
It has ochreous forewings with lighter streaks along the veins, a blackish-fuscous oblique streak from the costa, a faint dorsal streak near the apex, marginal dark dots, and shining dark fuscous hindwings with a light ochreous line at the cilia base.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gelechiidae)
Angoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Boxelder Leafworm MothChionodes obscurusella
Hairy, Toothed, and Shining Dichomeris Moths and AlliesDichomeris setosella
Black-smudged Chionodes Moth and AlliesChionodes occidentellaBlack-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscella
Inverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsDichomeris inversellaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metopleura
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.