Stenolechia gemmella

Stenolechia gemmella
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Gelechiidae
Genus:	Stenolechia
Species:	S. gemmella
Binomial name
Stenolechia gemmella (Linnaeus, 1758)[1]
Synonyms
Phalaena (Tinea) gemmella Linnaeus, 1758 Alucita nivella Fabricius, 1794 Recurvaria nivea Haworth, 1828 Lita nigrovittella Duponchel, [1839] Gelechia (Brachmia) lepidella Zeller, 1839

Stenolechia gemmella (black-dotted groundling) is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is known from most of Europe

Damage

The wingspan is 10–11 mm. The head is white. Forewings are whitish, somewhat sprinkled with brownish; a spot on costa near base and another at 1/3, an inwardly oblique fascia beyond middle, somewhat interrupted near costa, a spot on base of dorsum, and another at tornus black; some black scales towards apex; vein 4 absent. Hindwings are light grey. The larva is whitish; spots pale grey; head and plate of 2 yellow-brown, latter grey-speckled.[2][3][4][5]

Adults are on wing from July to September, and is known for its habit of resting in crevices in bark.[6]

The larvae feed on Quercus species. They feed in the young shoots.[7]

References

1. Fauna Europaea
2. Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description
3. Heath, J., ed. 1976 The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland Vol. 4 Part 2
4. Langmaid, J. R., Palmer, S. M. & Young, M. R. [eds]. 2018 A Field Guide to the Smaller Moths of Great Britain and Ireland [3rd ed.]Reading, Berkshire. British Entomological and Natural History Society
5. lepiforum.de includes images This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
6. UKmoths
7. "Lepidoptera of Belgium". Archived from the original on 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2011-03-28.