The Crambids
What are they?
The Crambidae is one of the largest families of moths, reaching its greatest diversity in the tropics, where many more species almost certainly remain to be discovered. This is a very varied family, containing both species that rest with their wings out and others that fold the wings over the back. A number of species are especially interesting in having aquatic larvae.
Identification
Identification based on wing shape down to the genus level can be fairly straightforward, but some groups of species require dissection to confirm identification so are not covered here.
04751 Water-lily Borer Elophila gyralis
Length: 8-15mm - female larger than male. Flight Time: July-October. Larval Food: Leaves of water-lilies (Nymphaeaceae)
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04755 Water-lily Leafcutter Elophila obliteralis
Length: 7-11mm - female larger than male. Flight Time: May-August. Larval Food: Leaves of a variety of aquatic plants.
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04759 Polymorphic Pondweed Moth Parapoynx maculalis
Length: 8-15mm. Flight Time: June-August. Larval Food: Leaves of a variety of aquatic plants.
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04794 Spotted Pepperwort Eustixia pupula
Length: 6-8mm Flight Time: June-August. Larval Food: Brassica Family (Brassicaceae).
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04870 White-roped Glaphyria Glaphyria sequistrialis
Length: 7mm. Flight Time: April-September. Larval Food:
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04873 Black-patched Glaphyria Glaphyria fulminalis
Length: 6mm. Flight Time: May-August. Larval Food:
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04879 Xanthophysa Moth Xanthophysa psychialis
Length: 7-9mm. Flight Time: June-July. Larval Food:
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04885 Lipocosma septa
Length: 6mm. Flight Time: July-August. Larval Food:
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04889 Julia's Dicymolomia Dicymolomia julianalis
Length: 8-11mm. Flight Time: May-October. Larval Food: A wide range of herbacous and low, woody plants.
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04895 Sooty-winged Chalcoela Chalcoela iphitalis
Length: Flight Time: May-August. Larval Food: Carnivorous, feeding on the larvae of paper wasps (Polistes spp.).
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04936 Dogbane Saucrobotys Saucrobotys futilalis
Length: 13-14mm. Flight Time: May-August. Larval Food: Dogbanes and milkweeds.
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04949 European Corn-borer Ostrinia nubilalis
Wingspan: 24-32mm. Flight Time: April-October. Larval Food: Broad spectrum of plant species.
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04967 Hahncappsia mancalis
Length: Flight Time: June-September. Larval Food:
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04975 Garden Webworm Achyra rantalis
Length: 9-11mm. Flight Time: May-September. Larval Food: Many species of low-growing plants, especially the pea family.
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04980 Northern Helvibotys Helvibotys helvialis
Length: 9-11mm. Flight Time: April-September. Larval Food: (Amaranthus spp.) and Common Beet (Beta vulgaris)
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04986.1 Greenish-yellow Sitochroa Sitochroa palealis
Length: 11-13mm. Flight Time: June-August. Larval Food: Seedheads of Wild Carrot (Daucus carota)
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04991 Sericoplaga externalis
Length: Flight Time: Larval Food:
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04992 Sophora Moth Uresiphita reversalis
Length: 14-17mm. Flight Time: Larval Food: Generally feeds on members of the pea family (Fabaceae)
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05040 Bicolored Pyrausta Pyrausta bicoloralis
Length: 10mm. Flight Time: June-September. Larval Food:
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05051 Variable Reddish Pyrausta Pyrausta rubricalis
Length: 7-8mm. Flight Time: June-September. Larval Food:
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05079 Celery Leaf-tier Udea rubigalis
Length: Flight Time: Larval Food: Many species of plants, especially crop plants such as celery, beets and beans
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05142 Paler Diacme Diacme elealis
Wingspan: 18mm. Flight Time: May-September Larval Food:
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05156 Lucerne Moth Nomophila nearctica
Length: 12-18mm. Flight Time: April-November. Larval Food: Many low-growing herbaceous plants.
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05159 Grape Leaffolder Desmia funeralis
Wingspan: 21-28mm. Flight Time: May-September. Larval Food: Has been recorded eating grape vines, Redbud and evening-primrose.
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05160 Grape Leafroller Desmia maculalis
Wingspan: 18-24mm. Flight Time: May-September. Larval Food: Has been recorded eating grape vines, Redbud and evening-primrose.
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05169 Spotted Beet Webworm Hymenia perspectalis
Length: 10-12mm. Flight Time: April-October. Larval Food: Various plants, including a number of cultivated vegetable species.
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05170 Hawaiian Beet Webworm Spoladea recurvalis
Length: 10-11mm. Flight Time: April-October. Larval Food: Various plants, but especially members of the Goosefoot (Chenopodiaceae) and Pigweed (Amaranthaceae) families.
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05176 Yellow-spotted Webworm Anageshna primordialis
Wingspan: 16-19mm. Flight Time: June-August. Larval Food:
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05177 Checkered Apogeshna Apogeshna stenialis
Wingspan: 16-19mm. Flight Time: June-August. Larval Food:
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05222 Common Palpita Palpita arsaltealis
Wingspan: 16-19mm. Flight Time: May-September. Larval Food:
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05226 Splendid Palpita Palpita magniferalis
Wingspan: 23-27mm. Flight Time: April-October. Larval Food: The leaves of ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees.
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05228 Ironweed Root Moth Polygrammodes flavidalis
Wingspan: 12-17mm. Flight Time: June-September. Larval Food: Ironweed (Vernonia spp.), but perhaps other plants in our area as ironweeds are rare here.
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05243 Pearly Pleuroptya Pleuroptya silicalis
Wingspan: 24-26mm. Flight Time: May-September. Larval Food: Known to feed on morning-glories (Convolvulaceae).
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05255 White-spotted Brown Diastictis ventralis
Wingspan: 21-23mm. Flight Time: May-September. Larval Food:
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05272 Two-spotted Herpetogramma Herpetogramma bipunctalis
Wingspan: 22-24mm. Flight Time: June-October. Larval Food: Aquatic plants.
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05288 Trapeze Moth Marasmia trapezalis
Wingspan: 12-14mm. Flight Time: May-August. Larval Food: Grasses, including crop species such as Sweet Corn and Rice.
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05316 Donacaula melinellus
Length: Flight Time: Larval Food:
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05317 Donacaula aquilellus
Length: Flight Time: Larval Food:
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05324 Donacaula maximellus
Length: Flight Time: Larval Food:
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05334 Prionapteryx achatina
Length: Flight Time: Larval Food:
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05342 Forked Grass-veneer Crambus bidens
Length: 9-11mm. Flight Time: July-August Larval Food:
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05355 Common Grass-veneer Crambus praefectellus
Length: 15-16mm. Flight Time: May-September Larval Food: Grasses
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05357 Leach's Grass-veneer Crambus leachellus
Length: 15-16mm. Flight Time: May-September Larval Food: Grasses.
Very similar to Common Grass-veneer, but the white stripe comes much closer to the leading edge of the wing.
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05361 Small White Grass-veneer Crambus albellus
Length: 8mm. Flight Time: June-July Larval Food: grasses.
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05363 Pasture Grass-veneer Crambus saltuellus
Length: 14mm. Flight Time: May-September Larval Food: grasses.
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05379 Mottled Grass-veneer Neodactria luteolellus
Length: 7-12mm. Flight Time: June-July Larval Food: grasses
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05391 Topiary Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia topiaria
Length: 12mm. Flight Time: June-August Larval Food: grasses, as well as a few other low, herbaceous plants.
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05393 Diminutive Grass-veneer Raphiptera argillaceellus
Length: 7-8mm. Flight Time: June-August Larval Food: grasses
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05403 Vagabond Crambus Agriphila vulgivagella
Length: 10-20mm. Flight Time: August-October. Larval Food: grasses
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05413 Sod Webworm Pediasia trisecta
Length: 12-17mm. Flight Time: May-October Larval Food: grasses.
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05420 Elegant Grass-veneer Microcrambus elegans
Length: 6-8mm. Flight Time: May-September. Larval Food: grasses.
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05435 Changeable Grass-veneer Fissicrambus mutabilis
Length: 8-9mm. Flight Time: June-August Larval Food: Grasses
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05451 Bluegrass Webworm Parapediasia teterrella
Length: 12mm. Flight Time: May-October. Larval Food: Grasses
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05464 Snowy Urola Prolimacodes badia
Length: 8-12mm. Flight Time: May-September Larval Food: grasses
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05478 Diatraea evanescens
Length: 9-10mm. Flight Time: June-July Larval Food:
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