About Gelechia rhombella (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775
Gelechia rhombella, commonly known as the apple groundling, is a moth species belonging to the family Gelechiidae. Its distribution covers Europe, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, southern Siberia, the Russian Far East, Korea, and the Chinese provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, and Jilin. This moth has a wingspan of 13 to 17 mm. The terminal joint of its palpi is the same length as the second joint. The forewings range in color from pale ochreous to light fuscous, and are sprinkled with black. There is a black spot along the costa at the base, and a second black spot at two-thirds of the wing length. The stigmata are black; the plical stigma is very small, and the second discal stigma usually forms a bent mark. There is a dark spot on the tornus, and sometimes a faint pale angulated fascia at three-quarters of the wing length. Blackish terminal spots are usually present. The hindwings are somewhat longer than 1 times the width of the body, pale grey, and darker towards the terminal end. Fully grown larvae are dark green with a reddish tinge along the sides. They have whitish subdorsal and spiracular lines, a dark brown head, and a black, bisected second thoracic segment plate. Larvae develop between the joined leaves of apple trees, and feed on species in the Malus genus (including Malus domestica) and Pyrus communis.
