Bug FAQMottled Pyrausta Moth
Pyrausta subsequalis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Crambidae
The mottled pyrausta moth has a wingspan of about 14 to 18 mm and lives in dry prairie habitats. It is found across much of North America, from southern Canada down to the southwestern United States and east to Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Pyrausta subsequalis, also called the weedfield sable, belongs to the Crambidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults have a wingspan ranging from 14 to 18 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They inhabit dry prairie areas.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from July through early September, and in coastal California they can be seen year-round.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 40 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Oregon, Colorado, Virginia.
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 (Crambidae)
Box Tree MothCydalima perspectalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Celery Leaftier MothUdea rubigalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Elegant Grass-veneerMicrocrambus elegans
Hawaiian Beet Webworm MothSpoladea recurvalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Garden Grass-veneerChrysoteuchia culmellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bluegrass Webworm MothParapediasia teterrellusDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrausta_subsequalis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.