The potato tuber moth also has a rare oviposition process where the ovipositor contains sensors that pick up on chemical signals given off by the host plant.

Adult moths have a narrow, light brown body with grayish-brown wings containing a variety of small dark spots.

The potato tuber moth is also commonly found in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and Oceania.

Temperature is an important factor in the survival rate and development of P. operculella, and so they are typically found in warmer climates, preferring subtropical and tropical habitats.

[8] The potato tuber moth has been found to feed on various members of the family Solanaceae such as tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum), eggplants (Solanum melongena), tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum), and bell peppers (Capsicum annuum).

[9] The female potato tuber moth does not require to be on top of or inside a host plant in order to mate and lay eggs.

[8] Potato tuber moth larvae are typically 12-15mm long and are white or yellow with a brown head and prothorax.

The thorax contains small black spots as well as bristles on each segment, and the larvae typically feeds on its host plant for up to two weeks before pupation.

[2] In order for the larvae to determine if it wants to mine a particular host plant, it first spends 5–15 minutes walking around the leaves, attaching a thread of silk to the surface as it goes.

At first they were thought to be poor fliers until a study by Foley in 1985 showed that they are actually capable of flying for over 5 hours and 10 kilometers non-stop in laboratory conditions.

[11] Female potato tuber moths release a sex pheromone to attract males that has been shown to be composed of tridecadienyl and tridecatrienyl acetates.

Males that sense this pheromone typically display wing fanning behavior and walk in a “zig-zagging” route towards the source.

The best solution to prevent the larvae from eating away at the tubers is with sprinkler irrigation as it deters the adult female moths from ovipositing.