Bug FAQScale-feeding Snout
Laetilia coccidivora · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pyralidae
Also called: Scale-feeding Snout Moth
The adult has a wingspan of roughly 10 to 17 mm. The larvae prey on soft-scale insects, eating their eggs and young, and they acquire carminic acid from this prey for their own defense.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 10 to 17 mm across the wings.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae are predatory on soft-scale insects (Coccidae), feeding on their eggs and young. They sequester carminic acid from their prey, which they use as a chemical defense against predators.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes the southern United States, covering the same states listed for its habitat.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 28 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, California, Arizona, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Colorado, 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
What do the larvae eat?
The larvae feed on soft-scale insects, consuming their eggs and young.
Source: Wikipedia
How does this bug defend itself?
It uses carminic acid taken from its prey as a chemical defense against predators.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pyralidae)
Indian-Meal MothPlodia interpunctellaCan damage your home
Greater Wax MothGalleria mellonella
Mediterranean Flour MothEphestia kuehniellaCan damage your home
Meal mothPyralis farinalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bee MothAphomia sociellaNuisance, not dangerous
Yellow-fringed Dolichomia MothHypsopygia olinalisSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laetilia_coccidivora
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.