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A smallish crambid (18-20 wingspan). The forewing very pale ochraceous with orange-brown scales arranged in lines along the spaces between the veins; terminal line with a row of seven brown dots. Hind wing pale gray. Similar to Agriphila plumbifimbriella but an antemedial (AM) line may be present, and when present, the line that paralles the termen curves inwards lower down (see image). The genitalia of Agriphila plumbifimbriella and Agriphila ruricolella are very similar. Agriphila ruricolella is also close to A. vulvivagella but the latter is larger and has a front that is produced and conical while the front of the head is flattened in ruricolella (McDaniel et al 1984).

A North American species. Fernald (1896) has it from Ontario, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois. Also in Missouri (Forbes 1923), South Dakota (McDaniel et al 1986), and Michigan where Scholtens (1996) mentions that it is a common species of weedy areas, and Quebec and Labrador (Handfield 1997). In Alberta, Bowman (1951) has it from the aspen parkland and the Nordegg area and Macaulay & Pohl (2002) have it from the Canadian Shield.