Bug FAQThin-banded Lichen Moth
Cisthene tenuifascia · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
The thin-banded lichen moth has forewings 7 to 9 mm long and a yellow-orange stripe along the inner edge of each forewing.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults show a yellow-orange band along the inner margin of the forewing.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Forewing length ranges from 7 to 9 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Occasional individuals are seen farther north as strays.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on lichens and algae.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from March to October.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight period extends from early spring through fall (March-October).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to Mexico and the southern United States, including Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Oklahoma. Strays can appear further north.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It belongs to the family Erebidae and is also called the three-banded lichen moth.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 16 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Mississippi, South Carolina, Georgia.
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
Questions people ask
Same family (Erebidae)
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Salt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cisthene_tenuifascia
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.