Male abdomen is black with a red tip, female abdomen is black.
Where the forewing band is present, it is divided by the white-centered cell spot. Eggs overwinter and hatch in March or April. Young caterpillars feed gregariously on oak flowers, while older ones feed alone on flowers and leaves. Fully-grown caterpillars wander for a few days before spinning a cocoon in leaf litter on the ground. One brood from September-November.