The adults fly from May to June depending on the location. The wingspan of this day-flying (or diurnal) moth is 17–21 mm, and it is quite colorful, with a light to dark rusty-red background, bold white markings and a more delicate metallic-blue pattern. The labial palps are conspicuously enlarged.[3] Meyrick describes it - Head and thorax are yellow, with a central dark fuscous stripe. Forewings yellow, posteriorly becoming deeper and suffused with dark fuscous,especially on veins; a bluish-silvery blackish-edged streak from base above middle to 2/5, thence bent down to join a similar straight subdorsal streak from base above middle of dorsum; a bluish-silvery blackish-edged transverse streak from costa before middle to disc; a large whitish -yellow dark -edged triangular spot on costa at 2/3, and another before tornus. Hindwings dark fuscous.[4]
The caterpillars feed on rotting wood; mostly living under tree bark, they have also been found inside dead branches of common hazel (Corylus avellana) and blackberries (Rubus subgenus Rubus section Rubus).[5]
^Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description
Grabe, Albert (1942): Eigenartige Geschmacksrichtungen bei Kleinschmetterlingsraupen ["Strange tastes among micromoth caterpillars"]. Zeitschrift des Wiener Entomologen-Vereins27: 105-109 [in German]. PDF fulltext
