Description: Wingspan 32-40 mm. Adults can vary in colour. Most individuals have dark blackish brown forewings. Stigmata are usually slightly paler than ground colour and finely outlined with black. Antemedian and postmedian lines pale whitish brown edged with black. There is a small black bar connecting both lines. Hindwings are normally white or fuscous; discal spot usually absent. Mid-July to mid-September.

World Distribution: Eurasiatic: widely distributed and generally common across most of western Europe from Portugal to Finland.

Irish Distribution: Baynes considered this species to be common and mainly coastal in its distribution. Recent records show it to be widespread inland in both Armagh and Down. Elsewhere it is apparently much more local in Tyrone, Londonderry and Antrim including Rathlin Island.

Ecology: A species of grassland habitats especially those in coastal areas. Adults are attracted to light but can be found resting on grass stems after dark. The larvae feed from September until June on various grasses. It overwinters as a larva.

Key Identification Features:

• Pale stigmata outlined with black
• Paler crosslines
• Small black Bar between both crosslines

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

iNaturalist: Luperina testacea at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.