Bug FAQSatin Rupela
Rupela tinctella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Crambidae
Males have a wingspan of about 20 to 34 mm and females 25 to 42 mm. Male moths are pale brown to brownish-ochreous, while females range from dirty white to pure white. They are found in the southeastern United States and parts of Central and South America, including Florida, Georgia, Texas and Mexico. Adults are on the wing from early spring through fall, roughly March to October.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Male fore- and hind-wings are pale brown or brownish-ochreous. Female wings vary from sordid white to pure white.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males measure 20 to 34 mm in wingspan; females are larger at 25 to 42 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults have been recorded flying from March through October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Same family (Crambidae)
Box Tree MothCydalima perspectalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Celery Leaftier MothUdea rubigalis
Elegant Grass-veneerMicrocrambus elegans
Hawaiian Beet Webworm MothSpoladea recurvalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Garden Grass-veneerChrysoteuchia culmellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bluegrass Webworm MothParapediasia teterrellusDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupela_tinctella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.