Moths of North Carolina
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Aristotelia Members:
1 NC Records

Aristotelia isopelta Meyrick, 1929 - No Common Name

Aristotelia isopelta
view caption 		Aristotelia isopelta
Taxonomy
Family: GelechiidaeSubfamily: AnomologinaeP3 Number: 59a0656 MONA Number: 1742.00
Comments: The genus Aristotelia contains over 150 species of small moths that are found worldwide, with around 34 species in North America.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Meyrick (1929)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Eiseman (2019)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Aristotelia isopelta is distinctive among our Aristotelia species in having a rather uniformly brown forewing with a conspicuous dark triangular costal patch. The following detailed description is mostly based on that of Meyrick (1929). The palps are white and the second joint is heavily irrorated with dark fuscous except near the extreme tip. The terminal joint has a dark fuscus band at the extreme base and median area. The antenna has white and blackish banding, with the distance between white bands longer on the distal one-fifth. The ground color of the forewings and the dorsum head and thorax are finely speckled with a mixture of whitish, light brown, and darker brown scales to produce an overall medium to dark fuscus appearance. A conspicuous triangular black costal blotch is present just before the middle that reaches to near the middle of the wing. The hindwings vary from grayish to light or medium brown, with the fringe being more or less concolorous.
Wingspan: 9-12 mm (Meyrick, 1929)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Although most of the Nearctic Aristotelia appear to be leaftiers, the larvae of A. isopelta are blotch miners that feed on members of the Onagraceae (Eiseman, 2019). The larvae produce full-depth blotches with dark fecal pellets that are packed in the earlier, narrower end of the mine. The mine is typically formed near the midrib and progresses toward the apex of the leaf, but occasionally it begins near the apex and progresses basally (Eiseman, 2019). Each mine normally contains a single larva (sometimes two) that are generally present during the summer months. The older larvae are reddish with a dark brown head capsule and the final instar exits and pupates in a flat, white cocoon. The adults emerge within a month after the larva pupates.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: The range of this widespread species is rather poorly documented. It appears to be relatively common in the northeastern US and adjoining areas of southern Canada. Additional populations have been found in British Columbia, California, Arizona and Texas. A population was recently found in Watauga Co. that may reflect a southern Appalachian disjunct from the main range to the north.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Immature Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species typically inhabits sunny or partially shaded areas where the host species occur, including disturbed, early successional habitats. Examples include woodland borders, road banks, weedy fields, powerline corridors, and open, moist areas in bottomlands.
Larval Host Plants: The documented hosts include species of Evening-primroses (Oenothera spp.) and willowherbs (Epilobium spp.) (Eiseman, 2016). Common Evening-primrose (O. biennis) is the most widely used host in eastern North America. As of 2022, our only record for North Carolina is for a mine on Narrowleaf Sundrops (O. fruticosa). - View
Observation Methods: The larvae occasionally visit lights and the transparent blotch mines should be sought after on evening-primroses and other host plants.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
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 Photo Gallery for Aristotelia isopelta - No common name

Photos: 2

Recorded by: Jim Petranka and John Petranka on 2022-08-09
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and John Petranka on 2022-08-09
Watauga Co.
Comment: