Abstract The tineid genus Pelecystola, which was previously represented by six widely scattered species known only from the Palearctic, Indomalayan, and Ethiopian regions, is reported for the first time from the western hemisphere. The new species, Pelecystola nearctica, has been found to occur rather commonly over much of eastern North America from Quebec, Canada, south in the United States to Florida and west to Arkansas. The genus Pelecystola is partially characterized by the development of a pedunculate pectinifer which arises from the extreme base of the male valva, a character also shared by the austral South American genus Falsivalva. Although the genus has sometimes been referred to the Scardiinae, the subfamily affinities of Pelecystola as well as the larval biology remain unresolved.