About Helcystogramma lutatella (Herrich-Schäffer, 1854)
Helcystogramma lutatella, commonly called the clay crest, is a moth species belonging to the family Gelechiidae. It was first described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1854. This species has been recorded in Uralsk, Transbaikalia, multiple regions of China (Fujian, Gansu, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Xinjiang), and nearly all of Europe. The wingspan of adult Helcystogramma lutatella ranges from 12 to 18 mm. The forewings are yellowish brown, with rounded brown spots located at the middle of the cell, near the end of the cell, and at three-fifths of the length of the fold. Each of these spots is bordered by yellowish white. In western Europe, adult moths are active between July and early September. The larvae of this species feed on Calamagrostis epigeios, Dactylis glomerata, Phragmites australis, and Elymus repens.
