''Caryocolum schleichi'' 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, most of western and parts of eastern Europe,

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, Syria,

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

and

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 millio ...

. The length of the forewings is 4–7 mm for males and 3.5–6 mm for females. Adults have been recorded on wing from late May to early October. The larvae feed on '' Dianthus scaber toletanus'', ''

Dianthus deltoides ''Dianthus deltoides'', the maiden pink, is a species of ''Dianthus'' native to most of Europe and western Asia.Den Virtuella Floran''Dianthus deltoides'' (in Swedish, with maps)/ref>Flora Europaea''Dianthus deltoides''/ref>Blamey, M. & Grey-Wils ...

'', '' Dianthus arenarius'' and ''

Dianthus sylvestris ''Dianthus sylvestris'', the wood pink, is a species of '' Dianthus'' found in Europe, particularly in the Alps, and also said to be disjunctly found in the mountains of Greece. A perennial, it prefers to grow in drier, stony places, so it is ...

''.

Subspecies

*''Caryocolum schleichi schleichi'' *''Caryocolum schleichi dianthella'' (Chretien, 1925) *''Caryocolum schleichi improvisella'' (Rebel, 1936) *''Caryocolum schleichi arenariella'' (Benander, 1937)

References

Moths described in 1872 schleichi Moths of Europe Moths of Asia Moths of Africa {{Caryocolum-stub