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A small (1.5-2.0 cm wingspan) wasp-like clearwing moth. The head, antennae and body are mostly dark brown to black, except for abdominal segments 4 and 5, which are red-orange. The forewings are long and narrow, mostly hyaline (without scales). The outer one-quarter of the forewings is separated from the rest of the wing by a dark oblique red-brown discal bar. The outer half of the area beyond the discal bar is filled with rusty-orange scales. The hindwings are hyaline and without markings, except that the veins are finely lined with dark scales. Both fore and hindwings have narrow dark terminal lines and fringes. The small size, bright red-orange abdominal bands and in particular the rusty-orange terminal area of the forewings will separate bolteri from other Alberta clearwing moths.

Poorly known. Adults are diurnal, and males are attracted to females by pheromones. Like all sessids, the larvae are borers in the host plant. Bolteri are apparently associated only (?) with the abnormal growths on low growing willows caused by the coleopterans Cryptorhynchus lapathi and Saperda concolor (Englehardt, 1946:85).

From Quebec across Canada north to the Northwest Territories and Alaska, south to Washington, Colorado and Rhode Island. In Alberta it has been collected in the Wainwright and Brooks areas, but based on Saskatchewan records, should also occur throughout the boreal forest region.