Bug FAQLettered Fan-foot
Zanclognatha lituralis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
Also called: Lettered Zanclognatha
The lettered fan-foot is a litter moth in the family Erebidae. Its wingspan is about 21 mm (0.8 in). It lives in North America from Wisconsin and Nova Scotia down to Florida and Texas, and adults fly from May to August.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Zanclognatha lituralis belongs to the litter moth group of the family Erebidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The moth’s wingspan measures roughly 21 mm (0.83 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found across North America, from Wisconsin and Nova Scotia southward to Florida and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on dead plant material such as fallen leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In northern areas there is one generation per year, while farther south there may be a partial second generation.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from May through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes the United States and Canada, spanning from the Great Lakes region to the Atlantic coast and down to the Gulf states.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 34 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Alabama, Tennessee, New York.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Erebidae)
Spongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skin
Isabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabella
Virginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skin
Salt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanclognatha_lituralis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.