Bug FAQFour-dotted Agonopterix Moth
Agonopterix robiniella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Depressariidae
Also called: Four-dotted Agonopterix
The four-dotted Agonopterix moth has a wingspan of about 16 to 20 mm and yellow forewings mottled with brick-red, speckled and shaded with dark tones. It lives across much of North America, from Nova Scotia down to Georgia and west to Oklahoma, and adults fly from June through October.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings are yellow with brick-red mottling, speckling and dark shading, plus two black spots near the base and a vague dark band near the edge.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from roughly 16 to 20 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae eat the leaves of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). Caterpillars are green with a thin pale band on each abdominal segment and have a black head.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from June to October.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period spans June through October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes eastern Canada and the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 26 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Indiana.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When are adult four-dotted Agonopterix moths active?
Adults fly from June through October.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the larvae of this moth eat?
The caterpillars feed on the leaves of black locust trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Depressariidae)
Goldenrod Leaffolder MothAgonopterix pulvipennella
Dotted Leaftier MothPsilocorsis reflexella
Schlaeger's Fruitworm MothAntaeotricha schlaegeri
Purple Carrot-seed MothDepressaria depressana
Poison hemlock mothAgonopterix alstroemeriana
Pale Gray Bird-dropping MothAntaeotricha leucillanaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agonopterix_robiniella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.