Scrobipalpa atriplicella

Scrobipalpa atriplicella, the goosefoot groundling moth, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found from most of Europe throughout Asia to Kamchatka and Japan. It is an introduced species in North America.

Scrobipalpa atriplicella
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Gelechiidae
Genus:	Scrobipalpa
Species:	S. atriplicella
Binomial name
Scrobipalpa atriplicella (Fischer v. Röslerstamm, 1841)
Synonyms
Lita atriplicella Fischer v. Röslerstamm, 1841 Gnorimoschema atriplicellum Gnorimoschema chenopodiella Busck, 1916 Tinea atrella Thunberg, 1788 Lita atriplicella var. infumatella Fuchs, 1901 Scrobipalpa (Euscrobipalpa) arogantella Povolný, 1967 Scrobipalpa altajica Povolný, 1969

The wingspan is 10–14 mm. Terminal joint of palpi as long as second. Forewings are dark fuscous, whitish-sprinkled, mixed or somewhat streaked longitudinally with pale ochreous, dorsal area lighter; a dark spot on costa at 1/4; stigmata blackish, ill-defined, first discal rather beyond plical; indistinct blackish spots on fold before and beyond plical, and in angle of a faint pale fascia at 3/4. Hindwings 1, light grey, darker terminally. The larva is greenish yellow or green; dorsal line rosy -suffused; head yellowish.

There are two generations per year with adults on wing in May and again from July to August.

The larvae feed on Atriplex laciniata, Atriplex patula, Atriplex prostrata, Atriplex tatarica, Beta vulgaris, Chenopodium album, Chenopodium ficifolium, Chenopodium hybridum, Chenopodium murale, Chenopodium quinoa and Halimione portulacoides. The young larvae mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine is irregular corridor-like or blotch-like, it is created from within a silken tube. The mines contain little to no frass. The larvae have a greenish yellow body and yellowish brown head. They can be found in June and from September to October.