Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGelechiidae Members: Aristotelia Members: 86 NC Records

Aristotelia roseosuffusella (Clemens, 1860) - Pink-washed Aristotelia

Aristotelia roseosuffusellaAristotelia roseosuffusellaAristotelia roseosuffusellaAristotelia roseosuffusella
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Gelechioidea		 Family:
Gelechiidae		Subfamily:
Anomologinae		P3 Number:
59a0670		 MONA Number:
1761.00
Comments: The genus Aristotelia contains over 150 species of small moths that are found worldwide, with around 34 species in North America.
Species Status: Forbes (1932) placed A. roseosuffusella in the Roseosuffusella subgroup of the Pudibundella Group. Braun (1930) described A. lespedezae, A. callirrhoda, and A. psoraleae as also belonging to the Roseosuffusella group.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012); Leckie and Beadle (2018)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Clemens (1860); Forbes (1932)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is one of the easier Aristotelia species to identify, with its boldly contrasting black and white barring, white apical spot, and a pair of white costal and dorsal marks just before the apex. The following detailed description is based on that of Clemens (1860) and Forbes (1932). The head and thorax are yellowish brown, and the labial palp is elongated and extends almost to the thorax. The third segment is very long relative to the second, and has fine, irregular black and white longitudinal stripes rather than distinct annuli as seen in some Aristotelia species. A transverse black and white ring is present at the base of the palp. The antenna has uniformly alternating dark and white annulations along its entire length.

The forewing is yellowish brown along the inner margin and is often suffused with roseate coloration. The yellowish brown coloration extends to the wing base, where is often grades into or is replaced by a whitish band. Three conspicuous dark brown marks are present on the wing that are separated by contrasting whitish zones. The first is a band that begins on the costal near the base and slants posteriorly before narrowing and terminating at about two-thirds the wing depth. The second is a broad band that begin on the costa just before one-half and terminates at about the same point as the first. It tends to be about the same width throughout its length and has a posteriorly directed hook at the end. A shorter and more triangular dark costal mark is at three-fifths that often merges with the yellowish brown coloration on the dorsal half. A black dot is present where they meet. Immediately behind the dark costal mark there is a pair of whitish costal and dorsal marks that are separated by a short black dash. The white mark at the tornus is often heavily suffused with roseate coloration, and a white spot is present at the wing tip. The area between the paired white marks and the terminal spot is filled with yellowish brown to dark brown scales. The cilia are light gray to grayish brown with a darker line near the apex. The hindwing is dark fuscous-gray and the cilia fuscous. The legs are dark brown to blackish with contrasting white annulations.
Wingspan: 10 mm (Forbes, 1923)
Adult Structural Features: Forbes (1932) has illustrations of the male genitalia. Also, see images below.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larval life history is rather poorly documented. Larvae at a site in Minnesota feed on Roundhead Lespedeza and fold the leaves together with webbing. They skeletonize the upper leaf surfaces, and finely granular frass is deposited beneath the webbing. The larvae are light bluish green with a series of seven wavy, reddish-brown stripes down the length of the body. The head capsule and prothoracic shield are amber colored (BugGuide). Terry Harrison has also observed the larvae folding and skeletonizing the leaves of several species of legumes in the Midwest (Eiseman, 2022).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Aristotelia roseosuffusella is widely distributed in North America and possibly into adjoining areas of Mexico. The range includes almost all of southern Canada from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island, as well as California, Colorado, and all of the eastern US. We have records from all three physiographic provinces. This species appears to be rare in the Coastal Plain, relatively common in the Piedmont, and somewhat uncommon in the mountains.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Aristotelia roseosuffusellaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.