Bug FAQXenolechia ontariensis
Xenolechia ontariensis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
The adult moth has a wingspan of about 12 mm. It occurs in North America, from Manitoba down to Texas and also in Arizona and possibly California. Adults are active from April through July.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan is roughly 12 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from April to July.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period spans April through July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes North America, specifically Manitoba, Texas, Arizona and possibly California.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Adults look similar to Xenolechia querciphaga.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 25 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, New York, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Mississippi.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When are adult Xenolechia ontariensis active?
Adults can be seen flying from April through July.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gelechiidae)
Angoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Black-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscella
Inverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsDichomeris inversella
Pink-washed Aristotelia MothAristotelia roseosuffusella
White Stripe-backed MothArogalea cristifasciella
Burdock Seedhead MothMetzneria lappellaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenolechia_ontariensis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.