Orange Stripe-backed Moth

Battaristis vittella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Orange Stripe-backed Moth
Photo: NC Moth Project, CC BY-SA

The adult moth measures about 8 to 10 mm across the wings. It lives in North America, mainly in the eastern United States and southern Canada.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Wingspan ranges from 8 mm to 10 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Recorded from the eastern U.S. and southern Canada.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 35 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Florida, New York, New Jersey.

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

JFMAMJJASOND

Source: GBIF

More photos

Orange Stripe-backed Moth photo 3
Photo: Seth Wollney, CC BY
Orange Stripe-backed Moth photo 4
Photo: harrier, CC BY
Orange Stripe-backed Moth photo 5
Photo: Mark Richman, CC BY
Orange Stripe-backed Moth photo 6
Photo: unknown, CC0

Same family (Gelechiidae)

Angoumois Grain MothAngoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or cropsBlack-smudged Chionodes MothBlack-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscellaWhite Stripe-backed MothWhite Stripe-backed MothArogalea cristifasciellaPalmerworm Moth and AlliesPalmerworm Moth and AlliesDichomeris ligulellaRed-necked Peanutworm MothRed-necked Peanutworm MothStegasta bosqueellaDamages trees, gardens or cropsTomato StemborerTomato StemborerSymmetrischema tangoliasDamages trees, gardens or crops

Sources

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

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.

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.