---
title: "Ailanthus Webworm Moth"
description: "Atteva aurea — Insecten en spinnen. The Ailanthus webworm (Atteva aurea) is an ermine moth found commonly in the United States."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/ailanthus-webworm-moth
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Ailanthus Webworm Moth

> Atteva aurea — Insecten en spinnen. The Ailanthus webworm (Atteva aurea) is an ermine moth found commonly in the United States.

- Scientific name: *Atteva aurea*
- Category: `insects` (Insecten en spinnen)
- Habitats: unknown
- iNaturalist observations: 65439
- Wikidata: [Q2180558](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2180558)
- iNaturalist taxon: [116681](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/116681)

## Names

- en: Ailanthus Webworm Moth
- es: Polilla pintada

## Countries with the most observations

US (59829), CA (3101), MX (920), HN (82), SV (39), NI (31), BZ (26), CR (18), GT (10), JM (8), GP (6), VI (3)

## Summary

The Ailanthus webworm (Atteva aurea) is an ermine moth found commonly in the United States. This small, colorful moth resembles a true bug or beetle when not in flight, but when in flight it resembles a wasp. Its original range included the American tropics since its host tree (paradise tree) is found in this geographic range.  It has expanded its range North as it has adapted to live and feed on Ailanthus altissima.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus_webworm

## Photo

![Ailanthus Webworm Moth](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/ailanthus-webworm-moth/medium.jpg)

Photo: Yann Kemper · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/16099194

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/ailanthus-webworm-moth?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).