Adult A. argentifera have a wingspan of Шаблон:Cvt, with each forewing measuring Шаблон:Cvt in length. The head is golden brown with brown antennae, and the thorax and forewings are dark brown with bright silvery white markings.[1] Externally, A. argentifera are similar to Aspilanta ampelopsifoliella and Aspilanta oinophylla, but can be differentiated by the darker scales on the head.[2]
The larvae are a pale yellowish green, with a brown head and prothorax. Their host plants include sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina), Morella caroliniensis, Morella cerifera, and Myrica gale.[2] Braun's original 1927 description theorized that the host plant for A. argentifera was paper birch (Betula papyrifera),[1] however, a 2020 paper posits that this was a case of mistaken identity, and that the mines on birch leaves seen by Braun and attributed to A. argentifera likely belonged to the larvae of a species of incurvariid moth, Phylloporia bistrigella, instead.[2]
The leaf mine begins with a linear portion that follows the midrib of the leaf towards the leaf tip, eventually widening into a small blotch that extends from the midrib to the edge of the leaf. The frass of the larvae is blackish. When mature and ready to pupate, the larvae cut out a Шаблон:Cvt long case from their host leaf, leaving an elliptic hole.[2]
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