Agonopterix pulvipennella — Featherduster Agonopterix

(Clemens, 1864)

Hodges# 0867

Etymology

Agonopterix: Combines the Greek agon, meaning “contest” or “an assembly,” and pterix, meaning “wing.”

pulvipennella: Combines the Latin pulv, meaning “powder” or “dust,” and penn, meaning “feather or plume,” with the suffix ella for “small.”

Pronunciation

ag-uhn-op-triks puhl-vi-pen-el-uh

Other Common Names

Goldenrod leaffolder

Documented Occurrences

This map shows the verified sightings of the featherduster agonopterix in Indiana. All sightings were confirmed through photographic documentation by individuals who contributed to the Great American IN Nature Lepidoptera Project (GAIN LP).

Documented North American Sightings as of 3/16/2020

GAIN LP Sightings

Date	County	Observer	Notes	Image1	Image2
2024-05-05	Brown	Pollock, Michele
2023-09-16	Newton	Jaskula, Jeanette
2023-07-20	St. Joseph	Mysore, Keshava
2023-07-09	Owen	Pettigrew, Laura
2023-07-07	Lake	Halon, Joelle
2023-07-05	Brown	Byers, Ronda
2023-07-04	Owen	Pettigrew, Laura
2023-05-11	Porter	Jaskula, Jeanette
2023-04-03	Hamilton	McCord, Dan
2022-08-19	Brown	Pollock, Michele

Observation Details	Images
Date: 2024-05-05 County: Brown Observer: Pollock, Michele Notes:
Date: 2023-09-16 County: Newton Observer: Jaskula, Jeanette Notes:
Date: 2023-07-20 County: St. Joseph Observer: Mysore, Keshava Notes:
Date: 2023-07-09 County: Owen Observer: Pettigrew, Laura Notes:
Date: 2023-07-07 County: Lake Observer: Halon, Joelle Notes:
Date: 2023-07-05 County: Brown Observer: Byers, Ronda Notes:
Date: 2023-07-04 County: Owen Observer: Pettigrew, Laura Notes:
Date: 2023-05-11 County: Porter Observer: Jaskula, Jeanette Notes:
Date: 2023-04-03 County: Hamilton Observer: McCord, Dan Notes:
Date: 2022-08-19 County: Brown Observer: Pollock, Michele Notes:

Agonopterix pulvipennella Sightings by Month

Notes

• This moth overwinters as an adult.

Floral Associates

Featherduster agonopterix caterpillars feed on goldenrod (Solidago spp.) and nettles (Urtica spp.) and have also been reported feeding on Eupatorium species.

Known Larval Food Sources in Indiana
Family	Taxonomic Name	Common Name
Order: Asterales
Asteraceae	Solidago spp.	goldenrod
Order: Asterales
	Eupatorium spp.	boneset, thoroughwort, and joe-pye weed
Order: Rosales
Urticaceae	Urtica spp.	nettles