Bug FAQSmall Necklace Moth
Hypsoropha hormos · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
The adult moth has brown wings with a distinctive white band of spots that looks like a necklace. It is found from Texas and Kansas eastward to Florida and New Jersey, and adults are seen from February through October, most often between April and August.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults have brown wings crossed by a post-medial line of white spots that meet at the inner edge, forming a necklace-like pattern.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The ranges of this species and its close relative overlap broadly.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It resembles the larger large necklace moth, Hypsoropha monilis.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 26 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Alabama, Texas, North Carolina, Maryland, Oklahoma, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Erebidae)
Spongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skin
Isabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabella
Virginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skin
Salt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypsoropha_hormos
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.