Bug Wiki
Bug Wiki / All bugs / Moths
Sticker of Small grey
Bug card No. 3924 of 4,939

Small grey

Eudonia mercurella
Eats: PlantsMothsForests and woods6 legs

The small grey is a little moth with dark wings mixed with brown and crossed by pale lines. It is so well camouflaged that it is hard to spot on a tree trunk. Its caterpillars eat moss.

Lives in
Europe, western Asia and north-western Africa, in woods and places with moss
Wingspan
1.6 to 1.9 cm (0.63 to 0.75 in)
Top speed
about 9.6 km/h (6 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Moths cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat different kinds of moss.
For real!Photo of Small grey
Picture by Fvlamoen. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How wide are its wings?

Small grey wings about 1.9 cm tip to tip (0.75 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)
could fly across a whole football pitch in 39 seconds

How big is Small grey compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Not many caterpillars eat moss, but this one does.

2

The moths fly from June to August.

3

It looks very much like several of its cousins. Experts look at a white spot at the wing tip to tell them apart.

you asked

Most asked questions about Small grey

?What does the small grey eat?

Its caterpillars eat moss.

?How big is the small grey moth?

Its wingspan is under 2 centimetres.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Eudonia mercurella
Group
Moths
Family
Crambidae
Classification
Insecta > Lepidoptera > Crambidae
Lives on
Europe, Asia, Africa

Where the facts come from

  1. Eudonia mercurella (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 Fvlamoen. CC BY-SA 3.0, 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.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: Moths

Atlas mothMothsLuna mothMothsHummingbird hawk-mothMothsDomestic silk mothMothsIsabella tiger mothMothsPolyphemus mothMoths

Also at home here: Forests and woods

Labyrinth orbweaverSpidersRed-legged buprestis beetleBeetlesYellow poplar weevilBeetlesRich spiny sugar antAntsNorth American cobalt tarantulaSpidersBent-spined acorn antAnts
Honey jarfor grown-ups