Bug FAQPotato Moth
Stoeberhinus testaceus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Autostichidae
Also called: Moth
The potato moth is a small moth with buff-brown mottled forewings. It is common in warm Pacific islands and has been recorded from places such as Java, Fiji, Samoa, the Cook Islands, the Galápagos, and many others. Its larvae feed on dry leaves, building silken tunnels, and have also been found on living leaves of the looking-glass mangrove.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The second and third forewing veins share a common stalk, and males have feathery hairs on the labial palps while females have short, inconspicuous palps.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars eat various dry leaves and construct silken tunnels within them. They have also been found feeding on living leaves of the looking-glass mangrove, though the importance of this is unknown.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its origin is unclear and it appears to be a “supertramp” species that spreads easily.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It may be confused with moths in the genus Autosticha, but can be distinguished by the feathery labial palps of males and the short palps of females.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Hawaii.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell the potato moth apart from similar species?
Check the forewing veins to the second and third share a stalk to and look at the labial palps: males have feathery hairs, females have short, inconspicuous palps.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the potato moth found?
It lives in warm Pacific islands, including Java, Fiji, Samoa, the Cook Islands, the Marquesas, the Society and Tuamotu Islands, the Austral Islands, and the Galápagos.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the larvae of the potato moth eat?
The caterpillars feed on dry leaves, building silken tunnels, and have also been recorded on living leaves of the looking-glass mangrove.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Autostichidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoeberhinus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.