Forewing fuscous purplish, with the dark suffusion stronger than in iota; inner and outer lines more or less marked with pale yellowish, edged with dark brown;the inner preceded by a brown fascia; median area below middle ferruginous brown, with an orange suffusion beneath externally; reniform stigma partly outlined with pale golden; the two golden spots as in iota; submarginal line suffusedly edged with olive brown, except above anal angle; hindwing as in iota; in the ab.

the two golden spots are confluent; the form gammoides Speyer, from the Baltic provinces and North and Central Germany, is darker, with the purplish tint of forewings stronger and the metallic spots united; — buraetica Stgr.

is also a darker, brownish grey form, with stronger golden tinge and conjoined spots, from the Kentei Mts.

[1] The caterpillars are green and have yellowish white, slightly wavy lateral stripes.

[1] The larvae feed on low plants such as nettle, honeysuckle, Stachys sylvatica and Jacobaea vulgaris.