Caryocolum marmorea

Description

Caryocolum marmorea is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean islands, and from Ireland to Poland, Hungary and Greece. It is also found on the Canary Islands and Madeira. It is also found in North America. The wingspan is about 11 mm. Adults are on wing from May to August. The larvae feed on Cerastium fontanum, Cerastium semidecandrum, Silene nocteolens and Silene otites. They mine the leaves of their host plant. In Cerastium, young larvae make an irregular, semitransparent, upper-surface corridor, usually running from the leaf tip to the base along the midrib or the leaf margin. The oldest part of the mine is filled with greenish brown frass. After mining the leaf, the larva bores into the stem. Older larvae live freely, feeding on the leaves from a silken tube or between spun leaves. Larvae can be found from January to February. They are greenish yellow with three dirty green dorsal length lines and a black head.