Description: Wingspan 26-30mm. Adults have ochreous-coloured forewings with a distinctive dark-coloured central band. Throughout July.

World Distribution: Throughout Europe as far east as Japan.

Irish Distribution: Widely distributed, but extremely local with few recent records. The moth had not been reported for many years until 1998 when two adults were flushed from the roadside hedges at Monawilkin, Fermanagh. Also recently taken at light at Garvary Wood, Fermanagh. It was previously recorded from Favour Royal and Altadiawan, Tyrone and Donard Demesne, Down.

Ecology: Found mainly in damp woodland and hedgerows. Adults show little attraction to light and are best searched for during the day by beating hedgerows. The larval foodplant in the wild is unknown, but it has been suggested that it may feed on various species of moss. It has been reared on chickweed Stellaria spp and Knotgrass Polygonum aviculare in captivity. It overwinters as a larva.

Key Identification Features:

• Size
• Small narrow central band, edged with white
• Pale whitish hindwings; small discal spot

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

iNaturalist: Perizoma taeniata at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.