Caryocolum cauligenella

Caryocolum cauligenella is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe, except Ireland, Great Britain, Norway and most of the Balkan Peninsula.

A swollen stem of Silene nutans (2b); swollen stem sectioned, showing the larva within (2b*)

Larva

Caryocolum cauligenella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Gelechiidae
Genus:	Caryocolum
Species:	C. cauligenella
Binomial name
Caryocolum cauligenella (Schmid, 1863)[1]
Synonyms
Gelechia cauligenella Schmid, 1863 Caryocolum cauligenellum

The wingspan is 11–13 mm.^[2] Adults are on wing in June.^[3]

The larvae feed on Silene species, including Silene gallica, Silene nutans and Silene vulgaris. They initially feed inside stem galls on their host plant. Pupation takes place outside of the gall in a white spinning in the soil.^[4]