Caryocolum leucomelanella explained

Caryocolum leucomelanella is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe, except Ireland, Great Britain, the Benelux, Portugal, Fennoscandia and the Baltic region.[1] It is also found in Russia (the Ural Mountains and Siberia: Altai, Transbaikalia and Tuva).[2]

The length of the forewings is 3.5–5 mm for males and 4-5.5 mm for females.[3]

The larvae feed on Petrorhagia saxifraga, Dianthus carthusianorum, Dianthus sylvestris and possibly Dianthus gratianopolitanus and Dianthus seguieri. Pupation takes place in a cocoon on the ground at the end of April. Larvae can be found from the beginning of May to June.

Notes and References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195639/http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=437484 Fauna Europaea
  2. et al. 2010: The gelechiid fauna of the southern Ural Mountains, part II: list of recorded species with taxonomic notes (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). Zootaxa, 2367: 1–68. Preview
  3. Huemer . P . 1988 . A taxonomic revision of Caryocolum (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) . Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology . 57 . 439–571 .