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Glite Dictionary
Gelechia gossypiella

Gelechia gossypiella

9.9
A small brown moth whose young eat and damage cotton plants
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Gelechia gossypiella
  • The larvae of the Gelechia gossypiella can cause significant damage to cotton crops.

Examples

  • Farmers implement pest management techniques to control Gelechia gossypiella infestations.

  • Gelechia gossypiella, commonly referred to as the pink bollworm, is recognized as a significant pest in cotton agriculture.

  • Gelechia gossypiella is also known as the pink bollworm in agricultural contexts.

  • Check for Gelechia gossypiella!

  • Farmers are worried about the Gelechia gossypiella infestation this season.

  • Farmers implement pest management strategies to reduce the impact of Gelechia gossypiella on their cotton fields.

  • The larvae of the Gelechia gossypiella moth feed exclusively on cotton plants, leading to severe crop damage.

Synonyms

pink bollworm
vsGelechia gossypiella
  • Specialized
8.6

A small caterpillar that eats seeds inside cotton bolls and damages cotton plants

is about the species as a whole rather than focusing only on larvae

Surface Forms

Gelechia gossypiella singular
Gelechia gossypiellas plural
Gelechia gossypiella plural

Morphology

Gelechia + gossypiella

This is a Latin binomial (scientific name); while 'Gelechia' denotes a genus of small moths, the species epithet 'gossypiella' is not a common English word and its connection to cotton/pest biology is not transparent to a B1 learner. The specific sense 'pink bollworm that damages cotton' cannot be derived from the parts without specialist or etymological knowledge, so the expression is opaque.

Etymology

Gelechia gossypiella comes from old scientific words: the part gossypiella comes from 'gossypium' meaning 'cotton' plus a small ending, so it literally means 'little cotton moth'. That's why the name fits this small brown moth whose young caterpillars eat cotton and make it a serious cotton pest.