The Elegant Grass-veneer Moth has a wingspan of about .5 inch. The forewing is silvery white shaded with brown. When the wings are folded, there is a white horseshoe-shaped mark in the center. The forewing has a brown and white band at the end with black spots. The hindwing is brownish-gray with a wide, light-colored fringe. The body is gray. In the last instar, the head of the larva is plain yellowish-brown, the thoracic shield is brown with scattered dark spots and the body is pale.
This moth is common in this area. The individual shown in photo A was photographed at Camp Brewster, Fontenelle Forest in late September. The individual in photo C was attracted to moth lights at Neale Woods in June 2017. Adults are attracted to lights.
Also called Elegant Sod Webworm. The larvae eat grasses (Poaceae). They collect grass blades at night to take back to their feeding shelter which is constructed of silk at the base of a grass plant. This species winters as a partially grown larva in its feeding shelter. It resumes feeding in spring and completes development in May. Pupation is in a cocoon adjacent to the feeding shelter (“Garden Insects of North America”. ) There are 9 species in the genus Microcrambus in North America and elegans is the most common and widespread.
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