Small Mossy Glyph

Lithacodia musta · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae

Also called: Small Mossy Lithacodia, Small Mossy Lithacodia Moth

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Small Mossy Glyph
Photo: Ken-ichi Ueda, CC BY

The small mossy glyph has a wingspan of about 15 to 19 millimeters. Adults are active from May through September.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Wingspan ranges from 15 to 19 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults are on the wing from May to September.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 38 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Maryland, Alabama, Virginia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas.

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

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Small Mossy Glyph photo 3
Photo: Dendroica cerulea, CC BY
Small Mossy Glyph photo 4
Photo: Nick Block, CC BY
Small Mossy Glyph photo 5
Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋）, CC BY
Small Mossy Glyph photo 6
Photo: Cheryl Stinchcomb, CC BY

Questions people ask

When can I expect to see adult small mossy glyphs?

Adults are active from May through September.

Source: Wikipedia

How big is the small mossy glyph?

Its wingspan measures about 15 to 19 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Noctuidae)

Ipsilon Dart MothIpsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or cropsFall Armyworm MothFall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or cropsArmy Cutworm MothArmy Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or cropsLarge Yellow UnderwingLarge Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSilver ΥSilver ΥAutographa gammaAmerican DaggerAmerican DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skin

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deltote_musta

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.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.