Chionodes fumatella

Chionodes fumatella, the downland groundling, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in almost all of Europe (except Portugal and Croatia).^[1] Outside of Europe, it is found in Turkey, the Caucasus, Mongolia and from Siberia to the Russian Far East.^[2]

Downland groundling
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Gelechiidae
Genus:	Chionodes
Species:	C. fumatella
Binomial name
Chionodes fumatella (Douglas, 1850)
Synonyms
Gelechia fumatella Douglas, 1850 Chionodes carpella Piskunov, 1971 Gelechia opletella Herrich-Schaffer, 1854 Gelechia celerella Stainton, 1851 Gelechia nigricans Heinemann, 1870 Gelechia reuttiella Heinemann, 1870 Gelechia syrticola Staudinger, 1871 Gelechia nigricans var. brunnea Teich, 1901

The wingspan is 12–19 mm.^[3][4] The terminal joint of palpi as long as second. Forewings brown, usually mixed with dark fuscous; usually indistinct dark fuscous spots on costa near base, at 4, and beyond middle, and in disc near base and at 4; stigmata black, often partly edged with whitish, first discal beyond plical; an indistinct pale ferruginous-tinged angulated fascia at 3/4, sometimes almost. obsolete. Hindwings light grey.^{[5] [6][7]}

Adults have been recorded on wing from June to August.^[8] The larvae have been reared on Lotus corniculatus.