Bug FAQGerdana Moth
Gerdana caritella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Autostichidae
The moth has a wingspan of about 13 to 17 mm and its forewings are light yellow with darker saffron tones and a black-dusted costal edge. It is found in southeastern Canada and the eastern United States, and adults are on the wing from June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings are light yellow, overlaid with darker saffron-yellow and a black-dusty basal half of the costal edge. Hindwings are a whitish brownish-gray.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 13 to 17 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It has been recorded in southeastern Canada and the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on mistletoe (Phoradendron) and on spruce species such as black spruce and blue spruce.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are mainly active from June to August.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period for adults is June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes southeastern Canada and the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 35 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, North Carolina, Alabama, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Georgia, Maryland, Colorado.
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 caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed on Phoradendron (mistletoe) and on spruce trees such as Picea mariana and Picea pungens.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this species found?
It has been recorded in southeastern Canada and the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Autostichidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerdana
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.