Bug FAQShining Dichomeris Moth
Dichomeris ochripalpella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
Also called: Shining Dichomeris
The shining dichomeris moth has forewings 5.4 to 6.5 mm long and deep brown wings with a distinctive steel-blue streak along the costa that ends at an orange-yellow spot near the wing tip. It lives in eastern North America, from southern Quebec and Ontario down to New Jersey, North Carolina and Arkansas, and its larvae feed on Aster and Solidago plants. Adults fly from June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewings are deep brown with a shining steel-blue streak along the leading edge that runs from the base to an orange-yellow spot near the wing tip, and the streak is sharply indented in the middle of the wing. Below the indented area near the inner margin there is a short steel-blue streak, and a thin line extends from the costal streak to the inner margin opposite the orange-yellow spot; the hindmargin bears a series of steel-blue dots and the hindwings are dark gray.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The forewing length ranges from 5.4 to 6.5 mm (about 0.21 to 0.26 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is recorded in North America from southern Quebec and southern Ontario down to New Jersey, North Carolina and Arkansas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on species of Aster and Solidago.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adult moths are active from June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing during the summer months of June, July and August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes eastern Canada and the eastern United States, specifically southern Quebec, southern Ontario, New Jersey, North Carolina and Arkansas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 25 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut, West Virginia, Michigan.
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
Questions people ask
When can I see adult shining dichomeris moths?
Adults are on the wing from June to August.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gelechiidae)
Angoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Black-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscella
Inverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsDichomeris inversella
Pink-washed Aristotelia MothAristotelia roseosuffusella
White Stripe-backed MothArogalea cristifasciella
Burdock Seedhead MothMetzneria lappellaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichomeris_ochripalpella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.