Stenolechia gemmella

Stenolechia gemmella
Scientific classification
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) gemmellaLinnaeus, 1758 Alucita nivellaFabricius, 1794 Recurvaria niveaHaworth, 1828 Lita nigrovittellaDuponchel, [1839] Gelechia (Brachmia) lepidellaZeller, 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.