hollow-spotted blepharomastix moth - Species Profile
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Hodges #
5182
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List
not listed
NatureServe
NNR - Unranked
Minnesota
not listed
Description
Hollow-spotted blepharomastix moth is a small crambid snout moth. It occurs in the United States from Maine to Florida, west to Minnesota and Arizona; in southern Canada from Nova Scotia to Ontario; and in Mexico, Central America, and South America.
Adults are ⅜″ (10 mm) in length and have a ⅝″ to ¾″ (16 to 20 mm) wingspan. The coloration of the wings is variable. The background color is light but can be brown, yellowish tan, or orangish brown, and the markings range from brown to brownish black.
The leading edge of the forewing (costal margin) is shaded brown from the base to the outer third. The antemedial (AM) line is slightly curved, the postmedial (PM) line is sharply kinked in the middle, and the subterminal (ST) line runs diagonally from the costal margin to the anal angle. The terminal line is represented by a series of dashes. The circular spot in the upper median area (orbicular spot) is hollow, with a dark border and filled with the ground color. The kidney-shaped spot in the lower median area (reniform spot) is filled with the ground color and bordered by a straight line above and below.
The hindwing is similar, with a continuation of the lines from the forewing.
Size
Total length: ⅜″ (10 mm)
Wingspan: ⅝″ to ¾″ (16 to 20 mm)
Similar Species
Habitat
Ecology
Season
May through August
Behavior
Adults will come to lights
Life Cycle
Larva Food/Hosts
Chenopodium spp.
Adult Food
Distribution
Sources
Lamprosema ranalis Guenée, 1854 in Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Abreu, C., Acero P, A., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (2026-07-17 XR). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgykv
Occurrence
Widespread and common in the east, uncommon in Minnesota
Taxonomy
Order
Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily
Pyraloidea (Pyralid and Crambid Snout Moths)
Family
Crambidae (Crambid Snout Moths)
Subfamily
Spilomelinae (Pearl Moths)
Tribe
Herpetogrammatini
Genus
Blepharomastix
Subordinate Taxa
Synonyms
Asopia archasialis
Blepharomastix datisalis
Blepharomastix occidentalis
Botys gracilis
Botys ofellusalis
Botys olliusalis
Botys strictalis
Ichthyoptila ranalis
Lamprosema archasialis
Lamprosema datisalis
Lamprosema gracilis
Lamprosema ofellusalis
Lamprosema olliusalis
Lamprosema ranalis
Lamprosema strictalis
Stenia ranalis
Common Names
hollow-spotted blepharomastix
hollow-spotted blepharomastix moth
