About Tephrina arenacearia (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775
This species is currently classified under the scientific name Tephrina arenacearia (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775, and is also referenced as Isturgia arenacearia in the description below. This moth species has a wingspan of 21–27 mm. The base color of its wings is light brown. Its forewings have a darker brown band in the submarginal area, a barely visible line that usually bears a small dark spot, and a series of small dark spots along the edge. The hindwings are cream-colored, crossed by a brown line, and also have small dark spots on the border. All four wings have fringes. The underside of the wings is predominantly gray or light brown. The thorax matches the wing base color, while the abdomen and head are yellow ocher. Caterpillars of this species are green with thin longitudinal white lines. This species is quite similar to Isturgia murinaria. It can be found across most of Europe, including Sardinia, Corsica, Italy, Switzerland, Slovenia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Bulgaria, Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Crete, Ukraine, and Russia, as well as in the eastern Palearctic realm and the Near East. These moths live in scrubs, dry steppes, xerothermic slopes, meadows, and areas cultivated with alfalfa.
