Moth Identification: Brown Moths Species - Butterflyhobbyist (2024)

A brown moth can belong to several different species of moths, such as the Common clothes, Brown-tail, Light-brown apple, Hawk, Tiger, Geometer, Imperial, and White-shouldered house moth, and often require the use of moth traps.

Common Clothes Moth

A Common clothes moth or Webbing clothes moth is a small indoor moth whose larvae feed on materials such as wool, silk, fur, and hair. It’s buff-colored and has narrow hairy wings. The head has small reddish hairs.

Clothes moths avoid light, so they’re commonly found under furniture, rags, closets, or on basem*nts where it’s dark. They’re considered invasive species, and you may have to use pesticides to fight them.

Common clothes moths are native to the western Palearctic but now frequent other locations such as the UK and Australia.

Brown-Tail Moth

The Brown-tail moth is hairy with a 1.4 inches to 1.7 inches (3.6 to 4.2 cm) wingspan. The body and wings are white, but the tail is reddish brown. The male’s forewings are brown on the underside.

Brown-tail caterpillars spend winter in a communal web where they stay for 9 months. Brown-tail’s flight season is once a year, from July to August. These caterpillars shouldn’t be managed without proper protection because of theirirritating hairs. If you have a moth problem, you should call professionals to help.

This moth species is native to Europe, West Asia, and North Africa but is now widespread in Canada and the US.

Hawk Moths

Hawk moths are called Sphinx moths, and most of their caterpillars are known as hornworms. They are large with long streamlined abdomens. Sphinx moths have a long proboscis which they use when feeding on flowers. Hawk moth’s wingspan ranges from 1.6 inches to 3.9 inches (4 to 10 cm), and the hindwings are smaller than the forewings.

There are more than1,200 speciesof Hawk moths, so their behavior varies. Some are active during the day, while others fly at dusk or night.

Sphinx moths thrive on all continents apart from Antarctica.

Light Brown Apple Moth

When resting, an adult Light brown apple moth is 0.39 inches (1 cm) long. The primary color is yellow-brown, with dark spots in the forewings. The female forewings have a dark spot on the hind margin.

The larvae of this moth develop in six instars. Overwintering happens between the 2nd and 4th instar. The male pupae are smaller than the female pupae.

Light brown apple moths are native to Australia but have been to other locations such as:

• British Aisles
• New Zealand
• California
• Ireland
• New Caledonia

Tiger Moths

Tiger moths have striped abdomens and are mostly bright colored. Their wings have geometric shapes and bold markings. Most Tiger moth caterpillars are hairy, so they are commonly known as woolly bears. These types of moths are small to medium-sized, and they have filiform antennae.

Tiger moth’s bright colors warn predators that they’re poisonous. Adult moths also produce an ultrasonic clicking sound to warn bats. These moths are considered pests in some areas.

There are over 11,000 species oftiger moth subfamiliesspread worldwide.

Geometer Moths

Geometer moths of the Geometridae family are the second-largest family of moths, with over 20,000 species. These moths have slender bodies and large, broad wings with an average wingspan of 0.59 to 2 inches (1.5 to 5 cm). The wings have wavy patterns, and the males have hairy antennae.

Geometer moth caterpillars are commonly known as inchworms, loopers, or spanworms because of how they walk. The larvae have two or three pairs of legs on the posterior instead of five. They could be considered pests in forestry and the garden.

Geometer moths are widely distributed, with over 1,400 species in North America.

Brown House Moth

Brown house moths belong to the Oecophoridae family and are often grouped with Clothes moths. These house moths have broad hindwings covered with long hairs. The forewings are dark brown with several dark spots. Adult females are larger than males.

The life cycle of the Brown house moth varies depending on the environment. A complete life cycle can last 12 months; egg incubation can be from8.5 to 110 daysand the larval stage from 71 to 145 days. Their caterpillars are creamy-white with brown heads. They often cause moth infestations.

This moth species has been living in New Zealand, the US, India, Europe, and Australia.

Imperial Moths

The Imperial moth is a large beautiful moth of the Saturniidae family. The average wingspan of Imperial moths is 3.1 inches to 6.9 inches (8 to 17.4 cm) which is why they’re considered the largest moths in North America. The males are smaller than the females, and they have heavy markings. The wings have varying colors, from yellow with purple to red or brown markings.

These large moths pupate in the soil. The adults emerge from June to August and April to October, and they don’t feed.

Imperial moths are common in Argentina and following US regions:

• Florida Keys
• Nebraska
• Atlantic Coast
• New England
• the Rocky Mountains

White-Shouldered House Moth

The White-shouldered house moth belongs to the Oecophoridae moth family. This small-sized moth likes indoor spaces. Its wingspan is 0.59 to 0.82 inches (1.5 to 2.1 cm) long, with dark patches on the gray-white forewings. The hindwings are narrow towards the tip. The shoulder and thorax are white, and the body is tan-colored.

White-shouldered house moth larvae’ main food source is cereals, vegetables, and dried seeds, but they can also bore into corks, carpets, and rugs. This moth infestation can cause losses in wine cellars when they infest the corks.

These house moths are widespread in Central America, North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia.