Argyresthia columbia Freeman 1972

Not of concern.

Adults appear in June.

So far only recorded from southeast British Columbia; listed as probable species for Alberta (Pohl et al., in prep.).

"Antenna with brown and white alternating annulations. Head ochreous. Thorax and forewing straw yellow. Fringe whitish. Hind wing pale grey; fringe whitish. Legs straw yellow. Wingspread 12-14 mm. (Freeman, 1972: 696). Male genitalia discussed and illustrated in Freeman (1972: 696; fig. 25). There are no confirmed records yet of this species for Alberta. It closely resembles A. laricella which is larger, has longer hair pencils in the male genitalia, and has a different food plant (1972: 696). It might also be mistaken for other species of Argyresthia with uniform ground color on the forewing (A. abies, A. flexilis, A. mariana) but is different from all of them in its food plant (Larix occidentalis). "

Primarily boreal habitats, where the western larch (Larix occidentalis) grows.

The larva bores into terminal twigs of Larix occidentalis (Freeman, 1972: 696).

All the type material was reared from larvae on western larch, Larix occidentalis (Freeman, 1972: 696).

Argyresthia columbia is a moth of the family Yponomeutidae first described by Thomas Nesbitt Freeman in 1972. It is found in Canada in south-eastern British Columbia and is possibly also present in Alberta.

The wingspan is 12–14 mm. The forewings are straw yellow and the hindwings are pale grey. Adults are on wing from in June.

The larvae feed on Larix occidentalis. They bore into the terminal twigs of their host plant.