Bug FAQAristotelia argentifera
Aristotelia argentifera · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gelechiidae
Aristotelia argentifera is a tiny moth with a wingspan of about 10.5-11.5 mm. Its forewings are deep brown with a distinctive white band near the base edged with metallic silvery-blue scales.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
A white, outward-directed oblique band starts near the costa base, reaching almost to the dorsal margin and is bordered by strongly metallic silvery-blue iridescent scales.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The moth’s wingspan ranges from 10.5 to 11.5 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It has been recorded in California and western Nevada in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on the shrubs Ericameria ericoides and Baccharis pilularis.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species was first described by August Busck in 1903.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Aristotelia argentifera is native to North America, specifically California and western Nevada.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 7 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where is Aristotelia argentifera found?
It has been recorded in California and western Nevada in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gelechiidae)
Angoumois Grain MothSitotroga cerealellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Black-smudged Chionodes MothChionodes mediofuscella
Inverse and Kimball's Dichomeris MothsDichomeris inversella
Pink-washed Aristotelia MothAristotelia roseosuffusella
White Stripe-backed MothArogalea cristifasciella
Burdock Seedhead MothMetzneria lappellaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotelia_argentifera
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.