Bug FAQMorbid Owlet
Chytolita morbidalis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
The Morbid Owlet has a wingspan of about 29 to 35 mm and pale grayish-white forewings with diffuse brownish or orangish lines; the hindwings are even paler with faint gray veins. It lives in deciduous woods and edges across most of North America, from the coasts to the south-central states, and adults fly from May through August, usually producing one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Hindwings are paler with faint grayish veins.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 29 to 35 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found in deciduous woods and at their edges.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They are also recorded feeding on dead leaves, including dried white oak leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from May to August. There appears to be one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from May through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 42 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina.
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
Same family (Erebidae)
Spongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skin
Isabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabella
Virginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skin
Salt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chytolita
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.