About Hypatima rhomboidella (Linnaeus, 1758)
Hypatima rhomboidella, commonly known as the lobster-clawed moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Gelechiidae. This species is distributed across most of Europe, where it is absent from the Iberian Peninsula and most of the Balkan Peninsula. Its range extends eastward to Siberia and Taiwan. The wingspan of this moth measures approximately 18 mm. Forewings are whitish-grey, sometimes sprinkled with dark grey, and their margins sometimes have an ochreous tinge. There is usually a dark fuscous suffusion near the dorsum towards the base; the costa is marked with small blackish spots, except for the area towards the base. A triangular blackish costal blotch, partially edged with brown, appears before the middle of the wing, followed by a dark grey tornal spot, and a black dash on the termen below the apex. Hindwings are light grey. Larvae are pinkish-brown, with a black head and black second thoracic plate. Adult moths are on wing from late July through September. Larvae feed on plants of the genus Betula and on Corylus avellana.
