Bug FAQRectangular Tripudia Moth
Tripudia rectangula · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The rectangular Tripudia moth has a wingspan of about 14 mm. It lives in North America, recorded from many eastern and central U.S. states. Its caterpillars feed on plants in the Ruellia genus.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Tripudia rectangula belongs to the Noctuidae family of moths.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan measures roughly 14 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on species of the plant genus Ruellia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 23 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Kansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, North Carolina.
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
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripudia_rectangula
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.