Bug FAQSugarcane Midget
Elaphria nucicolora · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Sugarcane midget moth
Source: Wikipedia
Elaphria nucicolora, known as the sugarcane midget, is a small noctuid moth. Its wingspan is about 21 mm and the caterpillars feed on crops like sugarcane and watermelon.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Elaphria nucicolora, the sugarcane midget, belongs to the Noctuidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wings measure roughly 21 mm across.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae have been recorded eating sugarcane, watermelon, and several weed species such as Emilia flammea and Portulaca oleracea.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes the southeastern U.S., the Caribbean, tropical South America, and parts of Hawaii.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants do the larvae eat?
The caterpillars feed on sugarcane, watermelon and a variety of weeds.
Source: Wikipedia
When are the adult moths active?
In Georgia they fly from June through November, while in Florida and tropical areas they can be seen all year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this moth found?
It lives from the southeastern United States through the Caribbean to tropical South America and on several Hawaiian islands.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaphria_nucicolora
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.