Platyedra subcinerea

Platyedra subcinerea, the mallow groundling or cotton stem moth, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe.[2] It is an in introduced species in North America, where it has been recorded from New England and California, and has also been introduced to New Zealand.[3][4] The habitat consists of wet meadows, marshes and gardens.

Platyedra subcinerea
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Gelechiidae
Genus:	Platyedra
Species:	P. subcinerea
Binomial name
Platyedra subcinerea (Haworth, 1828)
Synonyms
Recurvaria subcinerea Haworth, 1828 Gelechia vilella Zeller, 1847 argillosella Herrich-Schäffer, 1855 Gelechia bathrosticta Meyrick, 1936 Anacampsis parviocellatella Bruand, 1850[1]

The wingspan is 14–21 mm. The forewings are tan, speckled and with a longitudinal series of alternating dots and streaks through the middle of the wing. The dots are usually surrounded by a lighter patch and the last dot may be double. The tips of the forewings are darker. The hindwings are very pale grey.[5]

The larvae feed on Parietaria officinalis, Urtica species, Althaea officinalis, Lavatera thuringiaca and Malva sylvestris.[6]