''Acanthopteroctetes tripunctata'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

Acanthopteroctetidae Acanthopteroctetidae is a small family of primitive moths with two described genera, ''Acanthopteroctetes'' and '' Catapterix'', and a total of seven described species. They are known as the archaic sun moths. As of 2002, the Acanthopteroctet ...

. It was described by

Annette Frances Braun Annette Frances Braun (1884–1978) was an American entomologist and leading authority on microlepidoptera, a grouping of mostly small and nocturnal moths. Her special interest was leaf miners: moths whose larvae live and feed from within a leaf ...

in 1921. It is found in the US state of

Montana Montana () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions, division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North ...

.A Revision of the North American Moths of the Superfamily Eriocranioidea with the Proposal of a New Family, Acanthopteroctetidae (Lepidoptera)
/ref> The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...

is about 11 mm for males. The forewings are fuscous with a slight coppery luster and with three large, pale yellowish spots. The hindwings are slightly paler and the scales are narrower than those on the forewings. Adults are on wing in July, probably in one generation per year.

References

Moths described in 1921 Moths of North America Natural history of Montana Acanthoctesia {{Moth-stub