Bug FAQMontana Six-plume Moth
Alucita montana · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Alucitidae
The Montana six-plume moth has a wingspan of about 11 to 16 mm and gray-tawny forewings crossed by a wide dark band that splits on the first two lobes.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The moth’s wingspan ranges from 11 to 16 mm (0.43 to 0.63 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range covers much of North America, including parts of Canada and the United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 17 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Washington, Colorado, California, Minnesota, Utah, Montana, Oregon, Idaho.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the Montana six-plume moth look like?
It has a wingspan of 11 to 16 mm, gray-tawny forewings with a wide dark band that splits on the first two lobes, dark brown tips, and checkered hindwings.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the larvae eat?
The larvae feed on Symphoricarpos plants in the north and on Lonicera plants in California.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Alucitidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alucita_montana
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.