''Caryocolum fischerella'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

Gelechiidae The Gelechiidae are a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the family's taxonomy has been subject to considerable d ...

. It is found in central and northern Europe. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...

is 11–13 mm. The forewings are mid-brown. The moths are on wing from June to July depending on the location. The larvae feed on '' Saponaria officinalis'' and ''

Saponaria ocymoides ''Saponaria ocymoides'', the rock soapwort or tumbling Ted, is a species of semi- evergreen perennial flowering plant belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae, native to south western and southern central Europe. Etymology The Latin specifi ...

''. They are

gregarious Sociality is the degree to which individuals in an animal population tend to associate in social groups (gregariousness) and form cooperative societies. Sociality is a survival response to evolutionary pressures. For example, when a mother w ...

and feed within spun terminal shoots of their host plant. The larvae can be found in May. Pupation takes place in a web between the leaves of the host plant.

References

External links

Lepforum.de
Moths described in 1833 fischerella Moths of Europe {{Caryocolum-stub