Bug FAQDotted Antaeotricha Moth
Antaeotricha humilis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Depressariidae
Also called: Dotted Anteotricha Moth, Dotted bird-dropping moth
The dotted Antaeotricha moth has a wingspan of about 14 mm and is mostly grey-white with faint pale brown markings on the forewings. It occurs across many U.S. states in the eastern and central parts of North America, including Alabama, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Texas and others. The caterpillars feed on oak (Quercus) leaves, tying the leaves together as they eat.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are grey-white with faint pale brown spots on the forewings, including a small brown spot near the dorsal margin before the middle, another just behind it on the fold, and a third at the end of the disc.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan is about 14 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species was first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1855.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to North America, with records from numerous eastern and central U.S. states.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 27 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Maryland, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of the dotted Antaeotricha moth eat?
The caterpillars feed on oak (Quercus) leaves, tying the leaves together as they feed.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the dotted Antaeotricha moth found?
It occurs in many eastern and central U.S. states, including Alabama, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Texas and others.
Source: Wikipedia
What does the adult moth look like?
Adults are grey-white with faint pale brown spots on the forewings, including small brown spots near the dorsal margin, on the fold, and at the end of the disc.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Depressariidae)
Goldenrod Leaffolder MothAgonopterix pulvipennella
Dotted Leaftier MothPsilocorsis reflexella
Schlaeger's Fruitworm MothAntaeotricha schlaegeri
Purple Carrot-seed MothDepressaria depressana
Poison hemlock mothAgonopterix alstroemeriana
Pale Gray Bird-dropping MothAntaeotricha leucillanaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antaeotricha_humilis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.