UKMoths Helcystogramma lutatella - Distribution map
Please note that the NBN Gateway map service has been terminated as of 1 April 2017.
As soon as a replacement map service is available, distribution maps will hopefully appear here again.
In the meantime, you can get some idea of distribution from the NBN Atlas website.
35.03 BF869
Helcystogramma lutatella
(Herrich-Schäffer, 1854)
Wingspan c. 12-18 mm.
Rarely observed in Britain, known from just a small area of Dorset, this species has been confused with the very similar H. rufescens, and care must be taken in the identification.
Like that species, the larvae are very striking in appearance, and although very similar, can apparently be distinguished by the colour of the sclerotized plates in the abdominal region, which are reddish brown in the present species, and a darker, olive colour in rufescens.
The adults fly from July to early September, and the larvae feed on various grasses during the spring and summer.
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