Bluegrass Webworm Moth

Parapediasia teterrellus

''Parapediasia teterrellus'', the bluegrass webworm moth, bluegrass webworm, bluegrass sod webworm moth or bluegrass sod webworm, is a moth of the Crambidae family.
Bluegrass Webworm Moth (Parapediasia teterrellus) Gray to brown Crambid moth with hints of gold/orange flecks. Dark spots below medial line of forewings. Resting with head down and wings/abdomen up. Habitat: At porch lights near overgrown field/front yard and mixed hardwood forest. Geotagged,Parapediasia teterrellus,Summer,United States

Appearance

The wingspan is about 21 mm. Adults are on wing from May to October in two generations per year.
Bluegrass Webworm Moth - Parapediasia teterrellus Total length: 12 mm. Tawny, shiny forewing with a pattern of gray streaks. Subterminal line is angled and orange. There are blackish blotches inside the median line. Attracted to a light in a rural area. Bluegrass Webworm Moth,Geotagged,Parapediasia teterrellus,Summer,United States,moth

Distribution

''Parapediasia teterrellus'' was first described in 1821 from Georgia, one of the first pyralid moths recorded in North America. Its geographic distribution has been affected by the human colonization of North America. By the late 1800's, ''Parapediasia teterrellus'' encompassed the midwestern United States. It was recorded in Albequerque, NM and Tucson, AZ in 1935-1940, Los Angeles in 1954, and the San Francisco Bay area in 1988. It has effectively replaced its lawn moth competitors ''Tehama bonifatella'' and ''Crambus sperryellus'' in urban areas.

''Parapediasia teterrellus'' is currently found in North America from Ontario and New England to Florida, west to California and north to Nebraska. It has also been introduced to Japan and eastern China, where it is an invasive species.
Bluegrass Webworm Moth - Parapediasia teterrellus Total length: 12 mm. Tawny, shiny forewing with a pattern of gray streaks. Subterminal line is angled and orange. There are blackish blotches inside the median line. Habitat: Attracted to a light at night in a rural area. Bluegrass Webworm Moth,Geotagged,Parapediasia teterrellus,Summer,United States,moth

Food

The larvae feed on ''Poa'' species, ''Festuca arundinacea'' and occasionally ''Cynodon dactylon''. Full-grown larvae overwinter within a silk-lined tunnel in the soil or thatch.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderLepidoptera
FamilyCrambidae
GenusParapediasia
SpeciesP. teterrellus
Photographed in
United States of America