Faint-spotted palthis
Held at rest, this moth's wings arch upward into a ridge down its back, a posture that helps separate it from most other moths in its genus.
| Where | Woodlands, fields and gardens |
|---|---|
| Size | 15 to 23 mm wingspan |
| When | April to October |
The Faint-spotted palthis is a small brown to gray moth with a strongly arched, humpbacked profile and a dark patch near the middle of each forewing that is broken by a thin, curved pale line.
Its caterpillars are generalist feeders, eating corn, beans, coralberry, Spanish needle and oak leaves, and the species produces one or two generations a year depending on the region.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Brown, Grey
Active
Night
To people
Harmless to people; it comes readily to lights at night.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
The Dark-spotted palthis has a single solid dark spot at the middle of each forewing, while the Faint-spotted palthis's central spot is broken by a thin pale line.
Questions
Is the Faint-spotted palthis dangerous to people?
Harmless to people; it comes readily to lights at night.
When can you see the Faint-spotted palthis?
The Faint-spotted palthis can be seen from April to October, at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by Reiner Jakubowski, CC BY‑SA 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
The plate on this page is shared under the same licence as its source, CC BY-SA.
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Butterflies and moths›Erebid moths›Palthis
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.