The species was first described by Alfred Jefferis Turner in 1925.
It is a double-brooded species, meaning it has two broods in one year. Its wings are coloured with different shades of grey, but the spring brood tends to have more brown colours.
Distribution[]
- Found from the British Isles and France through central Europe to the north of the Carpathian Mountains.
- The species is more common than in the southern areas in the northern regions of the Alps.
- Outside of Europe, there are confirmed reports from the north-west and north-east of Turkey, Transcaucasia and the Caucasus.
Description[]
- Its wingspan is about 30–36 mm (1.2–1.4 in).
- Very similar to grey pine carpet, but is usually more richly marked and greyer in appearance. The ground colour of the forewing varies between light grey to blackish grey.
- Within the median band there are individual dark brown reddish-brown stains (shapes) which are often marked with a white border. Three or more of these shapes are ovoid areas located towards the trailing edge. The median band is fluted and normally edged narrowly with white.
- The spring brood is an overall brown rather than grey.
- Its flight periods are April to late June (spring brood) and from the end of August to mid-October (autumn brood). The larva feeds on pine trees.