Description: Wingspan 20-23 mm. Forewings pale greyish brown with a black elongated discal mark. There are also two additional black marks on the costal edge of the forewing. The sub-marginal line is wavy and quite pale in colour. Hindwings lighter and suffused with pale greyish brown along the outer edge. There is a small discal spot present in the median area of the hindwing Skinner gives June and July as the normal flight period in Britain.

World Distribution: Eurasiatic; widespread across Europe to central Asia and southwards to North Africa.

Irish Distribution: Apart from an old record for Londonderry, there were no other confirmed records of this coastal species in N. Ireland until 1999, when a single adult was taken at Killard Point National Nature Reserve, Down which was confirmed as being this species. There have been other claimed records in the past but these must be regarded as doubtful, since there are no voucher specimens to confirm the identifications. In southern Ireland it has been recorded from Cos. Cork, Kerry and Dublin.

Ecology: A rare species inhabiting coastal areas, rocky banks and limestone grassland. The foodplant is Burnet Saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga.

Key Identification Features:

• Locality
• Elongated black discal mark on forewing
• Discal spot on hindwing

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

iNaturalist: Eupithecia pimpinellata at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.