Water Hyacinth Moth

Niphograpta albiguttalis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Crambidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Water Hyacinth Moth
Photo: Amber M. King, CC BY

The water hyacinth moth has a wingspan of about 18 to 21 mm. It originates from the Amazon basin and has been introduced to parts of North America, Africa and Australia to help control water hyacinth.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Wingspan ranges from 18 mm to 21 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Native to the Amazon basin.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 5 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: introduced in North America. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

JFMAMJJASOND

Source: GBIF

More photos

Water Hyacinth Moth photo 2
Photo: Sean Golden, CC BY
Water Hyacinth Moth photo 3
Photo: willingarden, CC BY
Water Hyacinth Moth photo 4
Photo: Brandon Johnson, CC BY
Water Hyacinth Moth photo 5
Photo: Sam Kieschnick, CC BY

Same family (Crambidae)

Box Tree MothBox Tree MothCydalima perspectalisDamages trees, gardens or cropsCelery Leaftier MothCelery Leaftier MothUdea rubigalisElegant Grass-veneerElegant Grass-veneerMicrocrambus elegansHawaiian Beet Webworm MothHawaiian Beet Webworm MothSpoladea recurvalisDamages trees, gardens or cropsGarden Grass-veneerGarden Grass-veneerChrysoteuchia culmellaDamages trees, gardens or cropsBluegrass Webworm MothBluegrass Webworm MothParapediasia teterrellusDamages trees, gardens or crops

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niphograpta

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · 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.