The wingspan is 20–25 mm. The terminal joint of palpi with two black bands. Forewings are rather dark fuscous, somewhat whitish-sprinkled; a dark suffusion above dorsal dash; first discal stigma sometimes represented by an obscure dark fuscous dash, second cloudy, dark fuscous. Hindwings whitish-fuscous, becoming fuscous terminally. The larva is dull olive-green, often suffused with dark red; head dark red-brown; plate of 2 black, bisected, edged with pale yellowish anteriorly.[3]
Adults are on wing from July to October in one generation per year and come to light.[4][5]
The larvae feed on cat's ear (Hypochaeris radicata), perennial sow-thistle (Sonchus arvensis) and dandelion (Taraxacum species). They initially feed between spun leaves, but later amongst the roots of their host plant. Larvae can be found from May to July.[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
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