Bug FAQSkunk Twirler
Agnippe prunifoliella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
The adult has dark grey-brown forewings with a white edge that is scalloped and bears a few tooth-like projections into the brown area, plus dusky silvery-brown dorsal cilia and pale yellowish-brown hindwings. It occurs across many parts of North America, from Canadian provinces such as Alberta and British Columbia down to U.S. states including California, Florida, Texas and many others. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of the American plum (Prunus americana).
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings are dark grey-brown with a white posterior margin that is scalloped and shows two or three white teeth extending into the brown area, one near the wing edge opposite a costal white streak. The dorsal wing fringe (cilia) is dusky silvery dusted with dark brown, and the hindwings are a pale yellowish-brown (fuscous).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It has been recorded in many North American locations, including states such as Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Texas and provinces like Alberta and British Columbia.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on the plant Prunus americana (American plum).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range covers a broad swath of North America, from the southern United States up into Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 33 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Maryland, Ohio.
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 do the larvae of the Skunk Twirler eat?
The caterpillars feed on the leaves of American plum (Prunus americana).
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find Skunk Twirler moths?
They have been observed in many parts of North America, from Canadian provinces like Alberta and British Columbia to U.S. states such as California, Florida, Texas and others.
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/Agnippe_prunifoliella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.