Aroga trialbamaculella

Aroga trialbamaculella, the red-striped fireworm moth, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in the United States, where it has been recorded from Maine to Florida and from Illinois to Texas.[1]

Aroga trialbamaculella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Gelechiidae
Genus:	Aroga
Species:	A. trialbamaculella
Binomial name
Aroga trialbamaculella (Chambers, 1875)
Synonyms
Gelechia trialbamaculella Chambers, 1875

The wingspan is about 12 mm. The forewings are dark brown with a small white spot on the fold before the middle. There also white spots at the costa and dorsally before the cilia.[2] Adults are mostly on wing from March to October, but have been recorded year round.

The larvae feed on Comptonia, Epigaea, Myrtus, Quercus ilicifolia, Quercus laevis, Robinia and Vaccinium ashei.[3] They skeletonize the leaves of their host plant. They fasten two or more leaves together and feed within on the epidermis. With the frass, they form a tube which is open on both sides. The larvae reach a length of about 8 mm. They are pale dirty yellowish or greenish yellow with six darker yellow stripes.[4]

References

1. mothphotographersgroup
2. Cincinnati Q. J. Sci. 2 (3): 250
3. Bug Guide
4. Busck, A., 1903. A revision of the American moths of the family Gelechiidae, with descriptions of new species. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 25: 858