Spilomelinae
Guides
Agathodes monstralis
Sky-pointing Moth
Agathodes monstralis is a species of moth in the family Crambidae, commonly known as the Sky-pointing Moth. The species was described by Guenée in 1854 and is placed in the subfamily Spilomelinae. It is one of several species in the genus Agathodes, which are distributed primarily in tropical and subtropical regions. The common name refers to a characteristic resting posture where the moth holds its wings and body oriented upward.
Anageshna
Anageshna is a genus of snout moths (family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae) established by Munroe in 1956. The genus belongs to the diverse grass moth group, though specific morphological and biological traits distinguishing it from related genera require specialist examination. Observations indicate presence in North America, particularly the northeastern United States.
Antigastra
sesame webworm, sesame leaf webber, sesame capsule borer
Antigastra is a genus of crambid moths (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) established by Lederer in 1863. The genus contains at least three described species, with Antigastra catalaunalis being the most economically significant. This species is a major agricultural pest of sesame (Sesamum indicum) across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, where larvae feed on leaves, flowers, and seed capsules. The genus is placed in the subfamily Spilomelinae, a diverse group of grass moths and relatives.
Apilocrocis
Apilocrocis is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. The genus was established by Amsel in 1956 and contains approximately 11 described species distributed across the Americas, from the United States through Central America to South America. Species within this genus are relatively small crambid moths, with several described by Hampson in the early 20th century and additional species described by Munroe in 1968.
Apogeshna
Apogeshna is a genus of snout moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. It was established by Munroe in 1956 and contains two described species: A. infirmalis and A. stenialis. The genus is known from North America, with records primarily from the eastern United States including Vermont.
Apogeshna acestealis
Apogeshna acestealis is a moth species described by Walker in 1859. It is currently treated as a junior synonym of Apogeshna stenialis, commonly known as the checkered apogeshna moth. The species belongs to the family Crambidae and subfamily Spilomelinae. Records indicate it has been documented in Vermont and other parts of the United States.
Asciodes
Asciodes is a genus of snout moths (Crambidae: Spilomelinae) containing five described species. The genus was established by Guenée in 1854 with Asciodes gordialis as the type species. Species are distributed across the Americas from the southern United States through the Caribbean to South America. Larvae of at least some species feed on plants in the order Caryophyllales.
Asciodes quietalis
Asciodes quietalis is a moth species originally described by Walker in 1859 as Scoparia quietalis. It is currently treated as a synonym of Asciodes gordialis, a species in the family Crambidae (subfamily Spilomelinae). The taxon has been documented in 46 iNaturalist observations. As a synonym, it does not represent a currently recognized valid species, and biological information attributed to this name should be referred to the accepted species Asciodes gordialis.
Atomopteryx
Atomopteryx is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. The genus was established by Walsingham in 1891. It contains approximately ten described species distributed primarily in the Neotropical region. Species-level taxonomy and biology remain poorly documented.
Azochis
Azochis is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae, established by Francis Walker in 1859. The genus contains approximately 16 described species distributed primarily in the Neotropical region. Species have been recorded from Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus is characterized by typical crambid morphology with nocturnal adult activity patterns.
Bicilia
Bicilia is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. The genus was established by Amsel in 1956 and contains four described species distributed primarily in the Neotropical region. These moths are relatively poorly studied, with limited published information on their biology and ecology.
Blepharomastix
Blepharomastix is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, described by Julius Lederer in 1863. The genus contains approximately 80 described species distributed primarily in the Neotropical region. Many species were described by early 20th century lepidopterists including Hampson, Dyar, and Schaus. The genus is currently treated as a synonym of Lamprosema in some taxonomic databases, reflecting ongoing revisions within the Spilomelinae subfamily.
Blepharomastix undescribed-species
Blepharomastix is a genus of crambid moths in the subfamily Spilomelinae. The designation "undescribed-species" indicates a species that has been recognized by researchers but not yet formally described and named in scientific literature. Specimens may exist in collections or field observations may document its presence, but without a published species description, its formal taxonomic status remains incomplete. The genus Blepharomastix includes species primarily distributed in the Neotropical region.
Cangetta
Cangetta is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. The genus was established by Moore in 1886. Species within this genus are distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, with records from South Africa, Malawi, Cameroon, Congo, and other regions. The genus contains approximately 14 recognized species.
Choristostigma
Choristostigma is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae, established by Warren in 1892. The genus contains approximately ten described species distributed across North America, including C. roseopennalis, which has been documented at ultraviolet and mercury-vapor light traps in mountain oak woodland habitats. Species within this genus are small to medium-sized crambid moths, though detailed morphological and biological information remains limited in the published literature.
Choristostigma disputalis
Choristostigma disputalis is a small crambid moth described by Barnes and McDunnough in 1917. It is distributed across western North America from Alberta and British Columbia south to California, Oregon, and Arizona. Adults have a wingspan of approximately 20 mm and are active from April through August. The species is most readily distinguished from its congener Choristostigma elegantalis by its paler forewing ground color and distinctive wing pattern elements.
Choristostigma zephyralis
Choristostigma zephyralis is a small crambid moth described from California in 1914. Adults are distinguished by bright sulphur yellow forewings shading to orange yellow at the termen, with prominent purple markings including a costal stripe extending to the reniform spot. The hindwings are sulphur yellow with dark subbasal, discal, and subterminal lines plus purplish suffusion beyond the subterminal line. The species has a wingspan of approximately 23 mm. Larvae feed on Monardella villosa, a California native mint.
Colomychus
Colomychus is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. The genus was established by Munroe in 1956 and contains two recognized species. It is endemic to the Southeastern United States.
Conchylodes salamisalis
Blush Conchylodes Moth
Conchylodes salamisalis, commonly known as the Blush Conchylodes Moth, is a species of moth in the family Crambidae. It was first described by Herbert Druce in 1895. The species is distributed across Central America and the southern United States, with confirmed records from Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Mexico, and Texas. The moth exhibits distinctive wing patterning with silky hyaline white forewings and hindwings marked with dark brown streaks, bands, and spots.
Condylorrhiza vestigialis
Alamo Moth, Brazilian Poplar Moth
A crambid moth native to the Americas, known as the Alamo Moth or Brazilian Poplar Moth. Larvae are specialized feeders on Populus species, making this species a significant pest of poplar and cottonwood plantations in Brazil. Adults exhibit well-documented calling behavior, with virgin females releasing sex pheromones during specific nighttime hours to attract males. The species has been extensively studied for biological control applications, particularly for baculovirus production.
Cydalima
Cydalima is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. The genus contains approximately nine described species, with Cydalima perspectalis (box tree moth) being the most economically and ecologically significant due to its invasive status in Europe and North America. Most species in the genus are native to Asia, with limited documented information available for the majority of species beyond taxonomic descriptions.
Daulia
Daulia is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. The genus was established by Francis Walker in 1859. Species in this genus are distributed primarily in tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World, including parts of Africa, Asia, and Australia. The genus comprises relatively small to medium-sized moths with characteristic wing patterns typical of the Spilomelinae.
Daulia arizonensis
Daulia arizonensis is a small moth in the family Crambidae, first described by Eugene G. Munroe in 1957. The species has a wingspan of approximately 18 mm. It exhibits a disjunct distribution pattern, occurring in the southwestern United States (Arizona and Texas) and extending southward through Mexico to Argentina.
Daulia magdalena
Glittering Magdalena Moth
Daulia magdalena, the glittering Magdalena moth, is a species of pyraloid moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Charles H. Fernald in 1892. The species is known from the southeastern United States, specifically Alabama and Florida.
Desmia
Desmia is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, erected by John O. Westwood in 1832. The genus contains small to medium-sized moths, most commonly brown with variable white spotting on the wings, though some species exhibit orange or blue-green coloration. The majority of species are distributed in South and Central America, with additional species present in Africa, Asia, and North America. Several species are of agricultural significance, particularly Desmia funeralis, the grape leaffolder, which is a documented pest of grapevines in the United States and Mexico.
Diacme
Diacme is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. The genus was established by Warren in 1892 and contains approximately 10 described species. Species within this genus are distributed in North America and parts of the Neotropics. The genus includes species such as Diacme adipaloides, D. elealis, and D. mopsalis.
Diacme phyllisalis
Rusty Diacme
Diacme phyllisalis is a small crambid moth first described by Francis Walker in 1859. It occurs across the Caribbean and into the southeastern United States, with records from Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, Florida, and Georgia. The species is known in English as the Rusty Diacme, though detailed biological information remains limited.
Diasemiodes
Diasemiodes is a genus of small moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. The genus was established by Munroe in 1957 and contains at least four described species distributed in the Americas. These moths are part of the diverse grass moth group, though specific ecological details remain limited in the literature.
Diasemiodes janassialis
Pied Shawl Moth
Diasemiodes janassialis is a small moth in the family Crambidae, commonly known as the Pied Shawl Moth. First described by Francis Walker in 1859, it occurs across the southeastern and south-central United States. The species belongs to the subfamily Spilomelinae, a diverse group of grass moths.
Diastictis
Diastictis is a genus of crambid moths in the subfamily Spilomelinae, established by Hübner in 1827. The genus comprises approximately ten recognized species, most described by Munroe in 1956. Species occur primarily in North America, with records from the United States including Vermont. The genus has been subject to taxonomic revision, with two former species transferred to other genera.
Diastictis caecalis
Diastictis caecalis is a species of crambid moth described by William Warren in 1892. It belongs to the subfamily Spilomelinae within the family Crambidae. The species is known from California in western North America. Very little detailed biological information has been published for this species.
Duponchelia
European pepper moth (D. fovealis)
Duponchelia is a genus of snout moths (family Crambidae) established by Zeller in 1847. The genus contains at least five described species, with Duponchelia fovealis being the most economically significant and widely studied. D. fovealis, commonly known as the European pepper moth, has become a major invasive pest of protected crops, particularly strawberries, across multiple continents. The genus is characterized by its association with diverse host plants and its importance in agricultural pest management research.
Eurrhyparodes
Eurrhyparodes is a genus of snout moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. The genus was established by Snellen in 1880 and contains approximately 12 recognized species distributed across tropical and subtropical regions. Species in this genus are characterized by their relatively broad wings and often exhibit bold patterning. The genus has been subject to taxonomic revision, with at least one species transferred to the genus Gonocausta.
Eurrhyparodes splendens
Eurrhyparodes splendens is a small crambid moth described by Herbert Druce in 1895. It is distinguished by striking metallic steel-blue bands bordering the wing margins and yellowish-white transverse lines on both forewings and hindwings. The species occurs from the southwestern United States through Mexico to Central America. Adults have been recorded active in July, September, and December.
Glyphodes
mulberry pyralid moths
Glyphodes is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae, described by Achille Guenée in 1854. The genus contains multiple species distributed across tropical and subtropical regions, with some species having expanded their ranges significantly in recent decades. Several species are economically important as pests of cultivated plants, particularly mulberry (Morus spp.), jack-fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), and jasmine (Jasminum spp.). Glyphodes pyloalis, known as the lesser mulberry pyralid or mulberry pyralid, is the most extensively studied species due to its impact on sericulture and mulberry production globally.
Glyphodes onychinalis
Glyphodes onychinalis is a moth species in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. First described by Guenée in 1854 under the basionym Asopia onychinalis, this species belongs to a genus of small to medium-sized moths commonly known as pearl moths. The species has been recorded in the conterminous United States. Like other spilomeline crambids, it likely exhibits the slender body form and distinctive wing patterns characteristic of this diverse group.
Gonocausta
Gonocausta is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. The genus was established by Julius Lederer in 1863 and contains five described species distributed in the Americas. Species include G. sabinalis, G. simulata, G. vestigialis, G. voralis, and the type species G. zephyralis. Members of this genus are part of the diverse snout moth fauna of the Neotropical region.
Herpetogramma
grass webworms, sod webworms
Herpetogramma is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae, comprising approximately 106 species distributed across North America, Eurasia, Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America. Larvae of most species are associated with grasses and related plants, with several species recognized as agricultural or turf pests. The genus was established by Julius Lederer in 1863.
Herpetogramma phaeopteralis
dusky herpetogramma moth, tropical sod webworm, dark sod webworm
Herpetogramma phaeopteralis is a small crambid moth with a wingspan of approximately 18 mm, originally described by Guenée in 1854. It is known by multiple common names including dusky herpetogramma moth, tropical sod webworm, and dark sod webworm. The species has an exceptionally broad geographic distribution spanning multiple continents. Larvae feed on grass leaves, and the species is occasionally referenced in turfgrass pest management and biological control research.
Herpetogrammatini
Herpetogrammatini is a tribe of moths in the subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae, containing seven genera and approximately 286 species. The tribe was erected in 2019 based on molecular phylogenetic studies that resolved relationships within the species-rich Spilomelinae. It includes economically significant genera such as Herpetogramma, which contains species with leaf-rolling larval habits. The tribe represents a recently defined taxonomic grouping that reorganized previously scattered classifications within the Crambidae.
Hileithia
Hileithia is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. The genus was described by Snellen in 1875 and contains approximately 20 described species. Species are distributed across the Neotropical region, with records from Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. The genus is characterized by relatively small to medium-sized moths with typical crambid morphology.
Hoterodes ausonia
Hoterodes ausonia is a small crambid moth described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. It is distributed across the Caribbean and mainland Neotropics, ranging from Florida through Central America to northern South America. The species is characterized by a wingspan of approximately 32 mm. It belongs to the subfamily Spilomelinae, a diverse group of grass moths.
Hydririni
Hydririni is a tribe of moths in the subfamily Spilomelinae (family Crambidae) comprising approximately 104 species across eight genera. The tribe is primarily Neotropical in distribution, with most species described from tropical Central and South America. Adults range from narrow- to broad-winged, with wing patterns varying from inconspicuous brown and ochre to more colorful displays. Hydririni is characterized by distinctive genitalic synapomorphies: females possess an appendix bursae on the corpus bursae, and males typically exhibit hair scale patches on the anterior edge of abdominal sternite 8. The tribe forms part of the paraphyletic 'non-euspilomeline' group within Spilomelinae.
Hydriris
Hydriris is a genus of pyraloid moths in the tribe Hydririni. Its classification has been disputed, with some authorities placing it in subfamily Spilomelinae and others in Glaphyriinae. The genus contains five described species distributed across parts of Asia and Oceania. Hydriris was established by Edward Meyrick in 1885.
Lamprosema baracoalis
Lamprosema baracoalis is a species of moth in the family Crambidae, first described by William Schaus in 1920. It belongs to the subfamily Spilomelinae, a diverse group of pyraloid moths. The species is known only from Cuba, with minimal documented observations.
Lamprosema victoriae
Victorian Lamplighter Moth
Lamprosema victoriae is a moth in the family Crambidae, described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1923. It is commonly known as the Victorian Lamplighter Moth. The species has been recorded in the south-central United States, with confirmed occurrences in Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. As a member of the subfamily Spilomelinae, it belongs to a diverse group of grass moths and related species.
Laniifera
Laniifera is a genus of snout moths (family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae) containing two species: L. cyclades and L. rawlinsi. The genus was erected by George Hampson in 1899 with Pachynoa cyclades Druce, 1895 as type species. The caterpillars of L. cyclades are specialized feeders on Opuntia cacti and are recognized as pests of commercial prickly pear cultivation.
Leucochroma
Leucochroma is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae, established by Guenée in 1854. The genus contains at least five described species distributed across the Neotropical region, including Colombia, Jamaica, and Taiwan. Species within this genus are characterized by their predominantly white or pale coloration, as reflected in the genus name derived from Greek roots meaning 'white color'. The genus is part of the diverse snout moth family Crambidae, which includes many economically important agricultural pests.
Lineodes triangulalis
Lineodes triangulalis is a small crambid moth described by Möschler in 1890. It is distributed across the Caribbean, Central America, northern South America, and the southern United States (Florida and Texas). The forewings measure 7.7–9.7 mm. Larvae have been reared on Capsicum frutescens leaves, indicating a host association with pepper plants.
Loxostegopsis
Loxostegopsis is a genus of small moths in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. The genus was established by Harrison Gray Dyar in 1917 and contains six described species distributed in North America. Most species were described by Barnes and McDunnough in 1918. The genus is relatively well-documented on iNaturalist with over 3,300 observations, suggesting active populations that are encountered with some frequency.