About Rectiostoma xanthobasis Zeller, 1875
Rectiostoma xanthobasis, commonly known as the yellow-vested moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Depressariidae. Its scientific name was originally described by Philipp Christoph Zeller, with the species publication dated to 1875. This moth is distributed along the Atlantic Coastal Plain, ranging from southeastern Massachusetts south to central Florida and eastern Texas; its range also extends north into the Mississippi Valley to Missouri and Illinois. The wingspan of adults measures 12 to 14 mm. The forewings are dark brown, with a lemon yellow triangular area that is continuous with a yellow tegula and covers the basal third of the wing. This yellow area excludes a short costal lenticular spot and a longer, narrower spot along the posterior wing margin, both of which match the dark brown ground color of the wing. On the apical two-thirds of the forewing, there is an inconspicuous patch of white scales near the midpoint of the costa, with a similar, smaller white scale patch located slightly further toward the wing tip. There is a broad transverse band that runs parallel to the distal edge of the basal yellow area, and a small cluster of scales behind the basal white patch. A short curved band extends out from the distal white patch, and a longer, straight, iridescent blue-violet submarginal band runs parallel to the outer wing margin. The hindwings are dark brown, with a white patch on the basal half of the anterior margin. The larvae of this species feed on oak species in the genus Quercus, specifically Quercus nigra and Quercus stellata. They feed while sheltered inside a structure made of two leaves sandwiched together with silk.
