The forewings of the males are grey brown, slightly irrorate (sprinkled), caused by the scales being dark tipped and paler at the base.

Females have the scales almost uniformly dark fuscous with a purplish tinge, resulting in darker, velvety wing colour and contrasting silvery-white pattern.

The first costal and dorsal spots are always joined to form a narrow fascia, wider at the dorsum.

The mine starts as a much contorted narrow gallery with all convolutions close to each other, hardly leaving leaf tissue between them.

Larvae have been found from March to June, in September and again from December to January.