Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFArgyresthiidae Members: Argyresthia Members: 30 NC Records

Argyresthia subreticulata Walsingham, 1882 - Speckled Argyresthia

Argyresthia subreticulataArgyresthia subreticulataArgyresthia subreticulataArgyresthia subreticulata
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Yponomeutoidea		 Family:
Argyresthiidae		P3 Number:
36a0107		 MONA Number:
2479.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Busck (1907a)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Argyresthia subreticulata is a small moth that has white forewings with varying amounts of brown speckling that is reduce or absent on the basal fourth of the wing, and that develops a weakly reticulate pattern on the apical fifth of the wing. The following description is based in part on that of Busck (1907a). The labial palp is golden-white, and the head is silvery-white above, with a light brownish-tan stripe laterally that passes through the eye. The antenna is white with brown annulations, and the thorax is silvery-white. The ground color of the forewing is silvery-white and marked with brown speckling and fine, transverse striations that are reduce or absent on the basal fourth of the wing. These become more concentrated towards the apical third of the wing and often organized into a weakly reticulate pattern on the apical fifth of the wing. The light brownish-tan stripe that passes through the eye continues posteriorly along the costa, but transitions to being darker brown near the wing base. It continues along the costa as a well-defined stripe to around two-thirds the wing length, then tends to break up and become part of the weakly reticulate pattern on the apical fifth of the wing. The outer fringe is golden-brown with a darker sub-basal band. The hindwing and fringe varies from smoky-brown to light-gray, and the outer portions of the legs are white with varying amounts of brownish-tan to brown dusting.
Wingspan: 9 mm (Forbes, 1923).
Adult Structural Features: See image of North Carolina specimens below.
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Although the larvae have been reported to feed on Red Maple (Forbes, 1923), the larval life history is undocumented as of 2025.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Argyresthia subreticulata is found in eastern North America where it occurs in southern Ontario and Quebec, and broadly throughout much of the US. The range in the US extends from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York southwestward to North Carolina, northwestern South Carolina, northern Georgia and northern Alabama, and westward to eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois and southern Minnesota. This species is uncommon or missing from the southeastern Coastal Plain and relatively uncommon west of the Appalachian region. As of 2025, our records are all from the Blue Ridge and Piedmont, except for one site record from the lower Coastal Plain.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Argyresthia subreticulataAlamance 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 Hanover 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.
Flight Comments: The adults have been found from April through October in different areas of the range, with a few late-season records from November and December in Alabama and Florida. As of 2025, our records range from early-May to late-October. Some local populations in North Carolina appear to be bivoltine, with the primary flight occurring in May and June, and a smaller flight in September and October.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Local populations are generally associated with wet to mesic deciduous hardwoods.
Larval Host Plants: The larval host plants are poorly documented, with Red Maple (Acer rubrum) noted by Forbes (1923) as being a host. Other accounts have often cited 'maples' as being hosts, but we are unaware of any records that document larvae using maple species other than Red Maple. As of 2025, we do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Maple Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNR [S4S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species is uncommon but regularly encountered in deciduous forest habitats in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont.

 Photo Gallery for Argyresthia subreticulata - Speckled Argyresthia

 38 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-10-12
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-10-05
Madison Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-09-30
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-06-08
Madison Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-14
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin on 2024-06-22
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
iNaturalist		Recorded by: hydaticus - Robby Deans on 2024-06-15
Forsyth Co.
Comment: iNat record - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/253668875***(c) Robby Deans, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)| Public Positional Accuracy=11 m Elevation=991.3 feet		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-10
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-06-07
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-14
Madison Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-14
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-20
Madison Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-05-31
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2022-05-29
Orange Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-05-29
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2022-05-28
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2022-05-28
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2022-05-28
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-05-21
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-05-21
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2021-05-20
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2021-05-18
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2021-05-18
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2021-05-11
Durham Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-09
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-05-26
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2020-05-25
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2020-05-24
Orange Co.
Comment:
Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-10-25
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Argyresthia subreticulata
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-10-25
Onslow Co.
Comment:

Photos of Argyresthia subreticulata from iNaturalist

Argyresthia subreticulata
© hydaticus - Robby Deans - 2024-06-15 - Forsyth Co.
iNat record