Adult moth: Small moth with silvery body, forewings grey-brown with minute dark spots and have a narrow fringe of hairs, hind wings are dirty white; Larvae : White to yellow or greenish with brown head and body turns to red colour at pupation.

Egg (100-150) individually laid on the under surface of leaves or on exposed tubers. Pupates in a silken cocoon among thrash, clods of earth, on ground, on seams of bag and in the crevices in the floor or on walls.

It is pest of importance on potato both in the field and in storage, larva tunnels into foliage, stem and tubers which leads to loss of leaf tissue, death of growing points and weakening or breaking up of stems. In tubers, irregularly shaped galleries with excrement near tuber eyes.