About Teleiodes vulgella (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775
Teleiodes vulgella, commonly known as the common groundling, is a moth species belonging to the family Gelechiidae. It is distributed across most of Europe, extending eastward to the southern Ural Mountains and the Volga region. The wingspan of this moth measures 11–14 mm. Its head is grey, and its face is whitish. The terminal segment of its palpi is the same length as the second segment. The forewings are grey, speckled with darker scales and scattered black scales. Indistinct blackish spots appear on the costa near the base, and before and after the middle of the wing. There are sometimes two black dots placed transversely in the disc at one quarter of the wing length. The stigmata are black; the first discal stigma is positioned above the plical stigma, and the second stigma connects with a blackish bar of raised scales extending from the tornus. Small blackish patches are bordered by raised whitish scale tufts. The hindwings, which have vein 1 present, are rather dark grey. The larva is greenish-grey, with black dots, an ochreous-brown head, and a black, bisected plate on the second segment. Adults are on the wing from June to July. The larvae feed on a range of shrubs and trees, including Crataegus, Prunus spinosa, Cotoneaster horizontalis, Juniperus communis, Malus domestica, Malus sylvestris, Prunus domestica, Amelanchier, Pyrus communis, Sorbus aria, and Sorbus aucuparia.
