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Sticker of Clemens' grass tubeworm moth
Bug card No. 0917 of 4,939

Clemens' grass tubeworm moth

Acrolophus popeanella
Eats: PlantsMothsGardens and meadows6 legs

Clemens' grass tubeworm moth is a dark brown moth with lighter brown patches. When it rests, it folds its wings over its back like a little tent. A tuft of long, hairy scales on its head makes it look like it is wearing a helmet.

Lives in
The eastern United States, in grassland, farmland and towns
Length
1.1 to 1.4 cm (0.43 to 0.55 in)
Wingspan
2.4 to 3.3 cm (0.94 to 1.3 in)
Top speed
about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat the roots of red clover.
For real!Photo of Clemens' grass tubeworm moth
Picture by Rhododendrites. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Clemens' grass tubeworm moth about 1.4 cm long (0.55 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)

How wide are its wings?

Clemens' grass tubeworm moth wings about 3.3 cm tip to tip (1.3 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
as long as 2.5 grains of rice in a rowwings as wide as 6 grains of rice in a rowcould fly across a whole football pitch in 29 secondsmoves 260 times its own body length every second

How big is Clemens' grass tubeworm moth compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It is found from New Jersey and Ohio down to Florida and west to Texas.

2

It feels at home in grassy fields, on farms and even in towns.

3

Its forewings have a striped pattern near the bottom edge.

you asked

Most asked questions about Clemens' grass tubeworm moth

?Why does Clemens' grass tubeworm moth look like it wears a helmet?

It has a tuft of long, hair like scales on its head.

?What does its caterpillar eat?

The caterpillars eat the roots of red clover.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Acrolophus popeanella
Named by
Clemens, 1859
Group
Moths
Family
Acrolophidae
Classification
Insecta > Lepidoptera > Acrolophidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Acrolophus popeanella (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Rhododendrites. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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