Helcystogramma rufescens is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Gelechiidae

Gelechiidae

Gelechiidae is a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the Gelechiidae's relationships with and delimitation against their relatives have been subject to considerable...

 family. It is found in most of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

.
The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 14-17 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August.

The larvae feed on various grasses, including Brachypodium sylvaticum, Arrhenatherum elatius

Arrhenatherum elatius

-Introduction:Arrhenatherum elatius, with the common names false oat-grass, tall oat-grass, tall meadow oat, onion couch and tuber oat-grass, is a perennial species of grass, common in the temperate regions of Europe....

, Poa trivialis

Poa trivialis

Poa trivialis , is a perennial plant, and is regarded in the USA as an ornamental plant and is of the Poa family.-Description:...

, Dactylis glomerata

Dactylis glomerata

Dactylis glomerata, Cock's-foot and orchard grass, is a common species of grass in the genus Dactylis, native throughout most of Europe, temperate Asia, and northern Africa.-Distribution:...

, Phalaris arundinacea, Melica nutans

Melica nutans

Melica nutans is a bunchgrass species in the Poaceae family, native to Eurasian forests....

, Calamagrostis arundinacea

Calamagrostis arundinacea

Calamagrostis arundinacea Roth is a species of bunch grass in the Poaceae family, native to Eurasia....

and Calamagrostis epigejos. They spin grass blades and feed inside the spiral spinning, causing whitening of the grass blade tip. They larvae changes leaves several times. Larvae can be found from April to July. They are black and white striped.