Bug FAQTropical Meal Moth
Pyralis manihotalis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pyralidae
Also called: Moth, Tropical Tabby
Source: Wikipedia
Pyralis manihotalis is a small moth with a wingspan of roughly 12 to 20 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It belongs to the family Pyralidae and was first described by Achille Guenée in 1854.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan measures about 12 to 20 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
This species occurs throughout tropical regions worldwide, including Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific islands, South America and the West Indies.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae consume a variety of dead and decaying organic matter such as stored grains, meals, pulses, dried fruit, bones, animal hides and chocolate. They can also sustain a population feeding on bat guano in caves.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are mainly active at night but can be disturbed during the day in warehouses and are attracted to ultraviolet light.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 5 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Texas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Pyralidae)
Indian-Meal MothPlodia interpunctellaCan damage your home
Greater Wax MothGalleria mellonella
Mediterranean Flour MothEphestia kuehniellaCan damage your home
Meal mothPyralis farinalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bee MothAphomia sociellaNuisance, not dangerous
Yellow-fringed Dolichomia MothHypsopygia olinalisSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyralis_manihotalis
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.