Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Gelechiidae Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Scrobipalpa | |
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Similar Scrobipalpa atriplicella, Scrobipalpa acuminatella, Scrobipalpa costella, Scrobipalpa, Scrobipalpa ocellatella | ||
Scrobipalpa obsoletella, the summer groundling, is a moth of the Gelechiidae family. It is found in most of Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus, from Iran to Asian Russia (Transbaikal) and Mongolia. It has also been recorded from South Africa and North America, where it is probably an introduced species. The habitat consists of coastal salt marshes and sandy beaches.
The wingspan is 12–14 mm. Adults have been recorded on wing from May to August.
The larvae feed on Atriplex glabriuscula, Atriplex halimus, Atriplex litoralis, Atriplex tatarica and Chenopodium species. The larvae bore in the pith of the stem. The frass is ejected through a hole in the stem, located at the base of the leaf or a side branch. The larvae can be found from June to July and again in September. They are light green when young, turning yellowish green later. The head is light brown. The species overwinters in the larval stage.