Bug FAQThatch Pearl
Sclerocona acutella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Crambidae
Also called: Pyraustine Moth
Source: Wikipedia
The adult moth has a wingspan of about 25 to 28 mm and is light brown in colour. Its larvae feed on a range of cultivated and wild plants including corn, nightshade, tomato, hop, reed and wild bean.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are light brown.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 25 to 28 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on corn, nightshade, tomato, hop, reed and wild bean.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is the only species in the genus Sclerocona, so there are no close look-alikes within that genus.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Jersey, New Hampshire.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in Canada; introduced 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 larvae feed on corn, nightshade, tomato, hop, reed and wild bean.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Crambidae)
Box Tree MothCydalima perspectalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Celery Leaftier MothUdea rubigalis
Elegant Grass-veneerMicrocrambus elegans
Hawaiian Beet Webworm MothSpoladea recurvalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Garden Grass-veneerChrysoteuchia culmellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bluegrass Webworm MothParapediasia teterrellusDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sclerocona
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.