Lucerne moth

Hodges #

5156

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

NNR - Unranked
SNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

Description

Lucerne moth is a medium-sized moth, a large crambid moth. It occurs throughout the United States, across southern Canada, and in Mexico. It is common in Minnesota. Adults are found from April to November on low herbaceous plants in fields, lawns, roadsides, and weedy waste places. Larvae feed on the foliage of a large variety of low-growing plants, including alfalfa, clover, sweet clover, smartweed, and grasses.

Adults are narrow and long, ⅝″ (15 mm) in length. They have a wingspan of 15⁄16″ to 1⅜″ (24 to 35 mm).

The forewings are narrow, rounded at the tip, and brown, with darker, blackish-brown spots and streaks, and grayish-brown veins. There is a circular spot (orbicular spot) in the upper median area, a circular spot (claviform spot) between the orbicular spot and the inner margin, and a kidney-shaped spot (reniform spot) at the end of the discal cell. These spots have dark outlines and paler or slightly paler centers. The orbicular and claviform spots are large and closely spaced, sometimes converging into a single two-lobed spot. The median area sometimes has a small or large orangish patch, at least between the upper and lower spots. There is a dark line below the median area (postmedial of PM line). The PM line curves upward beyond the middle then angles sharply downward approaching the inner margin. There are four dark spots at the leading edge (costal margin) on the lower half of the wing, and a dark patch in the subterminal area near the costal margin. The outer margin has singular, narrowly triangular, forward-pointing spots between the veins. The fringe is banded white and dark brown. The hindwing is broader than the forewing. It is pale tan with gray streaks and dark brown veins but is otherwise unmarked. The fringe on the hindwing is white.

The antennae are slender and thread-like. The finger-like sensory organs (palps) attached to the mouth are long and densely hairy. They are projected forward, appearing like a fuzzy snout.

The caterpillar may be pale and reddish-brown or brownish-gray, or it may be dark and gray. The head is black. The thoracic shield is pale with two large black bumps that cover more than half of the upper surface. The legs on the thorax are pale. There is a narrow dark stripe in the middle (middorsal) of the thorax and abdomen bordered with white. On each abdominal segment there are two pairs of large black bumps on the upper side and a single similar but smaller bump in each side. Each bump has a few long erect hairs (setae).

Size

Total length: ⅝″ (15 mm)

Wingspan: 15⁄16″ to 1⅜″ (24 to 35 mm)

Similar Species

Habitat

Fields, lawns, roadsides, and weedy waste places

Ecology

Season

April to November

Behavior

Adults hold their wings folded flat and overlapped when at rest. They are active at night and will come to lights.

Life Cycle

Larva Food/Hosts

Foliage of a large variety of low-growing plants, including alfalfa, clover, sweet clover, smartweed, and grasses.

Adult Food

Distribution

Sources

21, 24, 27, 30, 75, 82, 83.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 9/4/2026).

Nomophila nearctica Munroe, 1973 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