''Chionodes occidentella'' 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 ...

in the family

Gelechiidae The Gelechiidae are a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the family's taxonomy has been subject to considerable d ...

. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

and

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

. 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 18-19.5 mm. The forewings are clothed with brown and ochreous, in about equal proportions. The costal basal portion is ochreous, passing into greyish-ochreous and brown on the dorsal margin, the extreme base of the costa is dark brown, the costal part of the middle of the wing is dark brown, while, on the dorsal margin, it is pale brown, and in this brown portion on the disc before the middle, are two small oblique velvety-brown streaks. Just before the cilia is a curved ochreous fascia, concave towards the base, distinct on both margins, but indistinct in the middle from the intermixture of brown scales. The apex, behind the fascia, is brown.Cincinnati Q. J. Sci. 2 (3) : 246
The larvae feed on ''

Quercus agrifolia ''Quercus agrifolia'', the California live oak, or coast live oak, is a highly variable, often evergreen oak tree, a type of live oak, native to the California Floristic Province. It may be shrubby, depending on age and growing location, but is ...

'', ''

Quercus douglasii ''Quercus douglasii'', known as blue oak, is a species of oak endemic to (and found only in) California, common in the Coast Ranges and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is California's most drought-tolerant deciduous oak, and is a domin ...

'', ''

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus ''Ceanothus thyrsiflorus'', known as blueblossom or blue blossom ceanothus, is an evergreen shrub in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae that is endemic to Oregon and California in the US. The term 'Californian lilac' is also applied to this and oth ...

'', ''

Ceanothus sorediatus ''Ceanothus oliganthus'' is a species of shrub in the family Rhamnaceae known by the common name hairy ceanothus or hairy-leaf ceanothus.Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, Nancy Dale, 2nd Ed., 2000, p. 167 The variety of this speci ...

'', ''

Cercocarpus betuloides ''Cercocarpus betuloides'' is a shrub or small tree in the rose family.Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, Nancy Dale,2nd Ed, 2000, p. 170 Its common names include mountain mahogany and birch leaf mountain mahogany The common name " ...

'' and ''

Arctostaphylos patula ''Arctostaphylos patula'' is a species of manzanita known by the common name greenleaf manzanita. This manzanita is native to western North America where it grows in coniferous forests at moderate to high elevations. Distribution The distributi ...

''.

References

Chionodes Moths described in 1875 Moths of North America {{Chionodes-stub