Plain-winged Virbia Moth

Virbia immaculata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae

Also called: Immaculate Virbia Moth, Immaculate Virbia

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Plain-winged Virbia Moth
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

Virbia immaculata is a moth in the family Erebidae. Its larvae can be raised on dandelion and plantain species.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Virbia immaculata is a moth in the family Erebidae.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It occurs from the Atlantic coast westward to Manitoba and has been recorded in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

The caterpillars can be raised on dandelion and plantain plants.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range includes the eastern United States and extends to central Canada.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 25 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, Iowa, Minnesota, South Carolina, Texas.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Plain-winged Virbia Moth photo 2
Photo: Jeff Hansen, CC BY
Plain-winged Virbia Moth photo 3
Photo: Jeff Hansen, CC BY
Plain-winged Virbia Moth photo 4
Photo: pachips, CC BY
Plain-winged Virbia Moth photo 5
Photo: Colin Croft, CC BY

Same family (Erebidae)

Spongy MothSpongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or cropsFall Webworm MothFall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or cropsBrown-tail MothBrown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skinIsabella Tiger MothIsabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabellaVirginian Tiger MothVirginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skinSalt Marsh MothSalt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaDamages trees, gardens or crops

Sources

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

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.

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.