Description: Wingspan 40-44mm. Adult males are variable in colour ranging from a pale yellow orange to a darker brown. The forewings have two cross-lines with a light mottled appearance. The females are wingless. From the end of October to mid-January, which is later than Skinner's recorded flight period.

World Distribution: Throughout central Europe.

Irish Distribution: Scarce, with a sporadic distribution in N. Ireland. Most of the recent records are from well-known sites such as, Belvoir Park Forest, Rehaghy Mountain, Caledon estate, Gosford Forest Park and Monmurry Bog. There are old records from Favour Royal, Killymoon and Lissan, as well as Tempo Manor and Enniskillen. It was previously recorded from Rostrevor early in the last century, but there are no recent reports of individuals despite on-going fieldwork in the area. In southern Ireland it has not been recorded south of Monaghan with the exception of Kerry.

Ecology: A late autumn species found mainly in woodland, heaths and old estate plantations. It is seen frequently at light in a few favoured sites. The females are wingless and can be found on the trunks of trees after dark. The larvae can be found from April to June mainly on oak Quercus spp., birch Betula spp. and Hazel Corylus avellana. It over winters in the egg stage.

Key Identification Features:

• Crosslines on forewings
• Mottled appearance; pale hindwings with very small discal spot and a broken line at the outer margin
• Wingless females

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

iNaturalist: Agriopis aurantiaria at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.