Carpatolechia fugitivella, the elm groundling, is a moth of the Gelechiidae family. It is found in almost all of Europe (except Portugal, Croatia and Bulgaria), Turkey, the Caucasus, Mongolia, southern Siberia, the Russian Far East and Korea. It is also found in Canada, where it has been recorded from Ontario and Quebec. The habitat consists of woodland, parks, gardens and hedgerows.
The wingspan is 11–15 mm. Adults have been recorded on wing from June to September.
The larvae feed on Ulmus species (including Ulmus glabra), Quercus, Corylus, Prunus avium, Pyracantha coccinea, Acer, Tilia and Fraxinus species. It lives between the spun buds and shoots of their host plant. Larvae can be found from August onwards. After overwintering, they are active up to April or May when pupation takes place in a white cocoon.