Description: Wingspan 26-31mm. Mottled greyish brown forewings with a weak central band. Hindwings pale whitish grey. Mid February to the beginning of May.

World Distribution: Throughout western and central Europe and parts of North Africa.

Irish Distribution: Widely distributed and recorded from all counties. Up to the 1990s this species was considered to be rather scarce with old records from Glenarriff and Belfast Castle, Antrim. Increased trapping during the mid 1990s, especially in early spring, has confirmed it to be more widespread. Recent records have come from Hillsborough Forest Park, Lackan Bog and Rostrevor NNR, Down; Monmurray, Fermanagh; Rehaghy and Davagh Forest, Tyrone and the Umbra, Londonderry.

Ecology: An early spring species favouring woodland clearings, bogs and heaths. Adults come to light in moderate numbers. The larvae can be found in May and June on various bedstraws Galium spp. It overwinters as a pupa.

Key Identification Features:

• Mottled forewings with weak central band
• Early flight period

Distribution Map from NBN: Colostigia multistrigaria at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Colostigia multistrigaria at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.