Bug FAQRabbitbrush stem gall moth
Gnorimoschema octomaculella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
The adult has distinctive brown and rust-red spots on its forewings, plus pale grayish hindwings. It occurs in North America, recorded from California and Washington. Its larvae feed on the plant Acamptopappus sphaerocephalus.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings show a brown spot near the base on the dorsal edge and a large rust-red spot before the middle that touches a brown costal spot. A second rust-red spot appears near the end of the disc, with dense dusting before both the costal and dorsal cilia; hindwings are pale grayish-fuscous.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It has been recorded in the western United States, specifically California and Washington.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on the plant Acamptopappus sphaerocephalus.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species was first described by Vactor Tousey Chambers in 1875.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to North America, with records from California and Washington.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 10 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Montana, California, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, Idaho.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of the rabbitbrush stem gall moth eat?
The larvae feed on Acamptopappus sphaerocephalus.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the rabbitbrush stem gall moth found?
It has been recorded in California and Washington in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What does the adult rabbitbrush stem gall moth look like?
It has brown and rust-red spots on its forewings and pale grayish hindwings.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gelechiidae)
Angoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Boxelder Leafworm MothChionodes obscurusella
Hairy, Toothed, and Shining Dichomeris Moths and AlliesDichomeris setosella
Black-smudged Chionodes Moth and AlliesChionodes occidentellaBlack-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscella
Inverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsDichomeris inversellaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnorimoschema_octomaculella
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.