Bug FAQRed-necked Peanutworm Moth
Stegasta bosqueella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
Source: Wikipedia
It lives in several U.S. states across the South and Midwest, such as Alabama, Florida, Texas and Illinois. The caterpillars feed on the foliage of peanut plants, making them a pest of peanuts.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
The larvae are considered a pest of peanuts because they feed on the plant’s foliage.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae eat the leaves of the peanut plant (Arachis hypogaea).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 30 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina.
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 plants do the red-necked peanutworm moth larvae damage?
They feed on the foliage of peanut plants (Arachis hypogaea).
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gelechiidae)
Angoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Black-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscella
White Stripe-backed MothArogalea cristifasciella
Palmerworm Moth and AlliesDichomeris ligulella
Tomato StemborerSymmetrischema tangoliasDamages trees, gardens or crops
Anisoplaca achyrotaAnisoplaca achyrotaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stegasta_bosqueella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.