They are particularly active at night, hiding during the day amongst the lower parts of their host plants;[3] larvae feed on various grasses, especially on Agrostis and Alopecurus species.

[3] Z. telmessia (47 b, 48 a) finally is a form from Cyprus and the district of Asia Minor lying opposite and is distinguished by a differently shaped scent-patch in the male.

In the female the disc is not ochre-yellow, but bright foxy brown; in both sexes the underside is also a little different from the nymotypical jurtina.

Specimens from Cyprus are said to have a much more rounded forewing, but such variations in shape occur also elsewhere in Europe, tough as rather rare exceptions.

The specimens usually sold as telmessia belong doubtless generally to the south-eastern local forms of hispulla, the direction of variation of which has still to be more accurately ascertained.