Tephra Tussock Moth

Dasychira tephra · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Tephra Tussock Moth
Photo: Ben Machado, CC BY

Jacob Hübner first described the tephra tussock moth in 1809. The species occurs in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Jacob Hübner first described the tephra tussock moth in 1809.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It is found in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range is North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 28 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana, Ohio, Georgia.

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

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Tephra Tussock Moth photo 2
Photo: Laura Gaudette, CC BY
Tephra Tussock Moth photo 3
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Tephra Tussock Moth photo 4
Photo: Robert Webster, CC BY-SA
Tephra Tussock Moth photo 5
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

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/Dasychira_tephra

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.