Subject Lichen Moth

Cisthene subjecta · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Subject Lichen Moth
Photo: Laura Gaudette, CC BY

The lichen moth has a wingspan of about 12 mm. Adults can be seen flying throughout the entire year.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Wingspan is roughly 12 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults are on wing year-round.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Found in the southeastern U.S. across a dozen states.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, Indiana.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Subject Lichen Moth photo 2
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Subject Lichen Moth photo 3
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Subject Lichen Moth photo 4
Photo: Jeff Niznik, CC BY-SA
Subject Lichen Moth photo 5
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

Questions people ask

When can I see adult lichen moths?

Adults have been recorded on wing throughout the whole year.

Source: Wikipedia

How big is the lichen moth?

Its wingspan is about 12 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Erebidae)

Spongy MothSpongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or cropsFall Webworm MothFall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or cropsBrown-tail MothBrown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skinIsabella Tiger MothIsabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabellaVirginian Tiger MothVirginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skinSalt Marsh MothSalt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaDamages trees, gardens or crops

Sources

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

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.

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.