Red Groundling Moth

Perigea xanthioides · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae

Also called: Red Groundling

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Red Groundling Moth
Photo: Healthy Yards, CC BY

The adult moth has a wingspan of roughly 29 mm. It occurs from Canada down through the United States into Brazil and also on Jamaica. Its caterpillars feed on plants in the Vernonia and Eutrochium genera.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Adults measure about 29 mm across the wings.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Larvae eat leaves of Vernonia and Eutrochium species.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 29 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Ohio, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Louisiana.

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

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Red Groundling Moth photo 3
Photo: saltyhiker, CC BY
Red Groundling Moth photo 4
Photo: Becca, CC BY
Red Groundling Moth photo 5
Photo: Jay Brasher, CC BY
Red Groundling Moth photo 6
Photo: Robert Webster, CC BY-SA

Questions people ask

What do the caterpillars eat?

The larvae feed on Vernonia and Eutrochium plants.

Source: Wikipedia

How big is the Red Groundling Moth?

Its wingspan is about 29 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Where is this moth found?

It ranges from Canada through the United States to Brazil and also occurs on Jamaica.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Noctuidae)

Ipsilon Dart MothIpsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or cropsFall Armyworm MothFall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or cropsArmy Cutworm MothArmy Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or cropsLarge Yellow UnderwingLarge Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSilver ΥSilver ΥAutographa gammaAmerican DaggerAmerican DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skin

Sources

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

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.

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.