Ypsolopha cervella is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the family Ypsolophidae

Ypsolophidae

Ypsolophidae is a family of moth. They are included in the Plutellidae by many authors.-Ypsolophinae:* Phrealcia Chrétien, 1900** Phrealcia brevipalpella Chrétien, 1900** Phrealcia eximiella...

. It is found from Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...

 southward in the Pacific states to San Diego County in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 and Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

.

The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is about 19 mm. There is one generation per year, with adults emerging in June. Adults are polymorphic.

The larvae feed on oak

Oak

An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...

s of the sections Erythrobalanus and Lepidobalanus, including Quercus chrysolepis

Quercus chrysolepis

Quercus chrysolepis, commonly termed Canyon Live Oak, or Golden Cup Oak, is a species of evergreen oak that is found in the southwestern part of North America, notably in the California Coast Ranges. This tree is often found near creeks and drainage swales growing in moist cool microhabitats...

and Quercus gambelii. Young larvae feed on newly emerging terminal buds. Later instars feed on the undersides of expanding leaves.