The wingspan is 10–14 mm. The head is yellowish-white. Forewings are rather dark purplish-fuscous; costa strigulated with whitish; a thick white dorsal streak to tornus; an interrupted dark fuscous median fascia; one or two white costal spots before apex. Hindwings are grey. The larva is dull whitish yellow; head and plate of 2 pale brown.[4][5]
Adults are on wing from May to July depending on the location. The larvae feed on Sorbus aucuparia and Malus species.[2]
The apple fruit moth, is seen to be a parasite for the apple growing communities in Finland, Norway, and Sweden. These moths are seed predators for the mountain-ash trees rowan.[6] However, when there is a dip in the fruit produced by rowan every couple years in this region, the apple fruit moth finds a new host in the form of apples. Apples are not their desired host however and they communicate with the rowan seeds they prefer through odors.[7]
^Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description
^Knudsen, Geir K.; Bengtsson, Marie; Kobro, Sverre; Jaastad, Gunnhild; Hofsvang, Trond; Witzgall, Peter (2008). "Discrepancy in laboratory and field attraction of apple fruit moth Argyresthia conjugella to host plant volatiles". Physiological Entomology. 33 (1): 1–6. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3032.2007.00592.x.
