It is found in Europe and across the Palearctic Siberia, the Russian Far East, Japan and China.

Forewing pale luteous grey covered with dark vermiculations; the costa and terminal area brownish grey; inner line outwardly curved, greyish brown, often obscure; outer line dark edged with pale, outcurved above, indented on submedian fold, followed by a diffuse dark shade; the subterminal line hardly distinct; orbicular stigma a black dot; reniform a black lunule, its lower end produced outwards and followed by two black points; hindwing pale brownish grey, with an indistinct outer pale line; the form astragali Rmb., from Spain, is more densely covered with dark striae on the forewing, of which the terminal spots are hardly visible; on the other hand, dilutior Stgr., from the Kentei Mts., has paler, less marked, forewings; ab.

nov. (68 f) is much paler and without any brown tinge: nearly a score of this form were taken in July and August 1901—1903 at Tarasp in the Engadine by Mr. Rothschild and Mr. Haktert; they may be identical with ab.

Larva pale yellowish grey, dotted with black, with a row of yellow spots in the middle and a row of small yellow spots on each side of the back; laterally with a broad white grey-mottled black-dotted stripe above, and beneath an orange stripe dotted with white and edged below with yellow; also a black stripe above the feet.

The moth flies in two generations from late March to mid August and from September and October.