Bug FAQSmoky Arches
Drasteria fumosa · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
The smoky arches moth has a wingspan of about 34 to 43 mm. It lives in the western United States, from California eastward to Utah and Texas, and adults fly in the summer.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Drasteria fumosa, called the smoky arches, is a moth in the family Erebidae first described in 1898.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges from 34 to 43 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found from California east to Utah and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing during the summer months.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; 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 acreaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drasteria_fumosa
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.