Bug FAQOrange-shouldered Sherbet Moth
Diaphania costata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Crambidae
Also called: White Palpita Moth
The orange-shouldered sherbet moth is a small moth with a wingspan under 20 mm and translucent white wings marked by a gold line on the forewing’s front edge. It is widely dispersed in the Americas and has recent records from the southeastern United States, especially Texas and Louisiana. It is frequently misidentified and has been called the white palpita moth in error.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Its wings are translucent white with a gold line along the front edge of the forewing.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It is a small moth with a wingspan under 20 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is widely dispersed in the Americas and has recent records from the southeastern United States, especially Texas and Louisiana.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Oklahoma, Alabama, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Crambidae)
Box Tree MothCydalima perspectalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Celery Leaftier MothUdea rubigalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Elegant Grass-veneerMicrocrambus elegans
Hawaiian Beet Webworm MothSpoladea recurvalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Garden Grass-veneerChrysoteuchia culmellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bluegrass Webworm MothParapediasia teterrellusDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaphania_costata
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.