The Marbled Minor is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the family Noctuidae

Noctuidae

The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....

. It is distributed throughout Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

.

This is a rather small species (wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 24-29 mm), the forewings usually being dark brown with a pale subterminal band, the hindwings pale brown. Melanic

Melanism

Melanism is an undue development of dark-colored pigment in the skin or its appendages, and the opposite of albinism. It is also the medical term for black jaundice.The word is deduced from the , meaning black pigment....

 forms are often encountered, especially in industrial areas. This species is almost identical to its relatives the Rufous Minor

Rufous Minor

The Rufous Minor is a species of moth belonging to the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout Europe.The wingspan is 24-28 mm. This species is extremely similar to the Marbled Minor and the Tawny Marbled Minor and specific identification usually requires close study of the genitalia. O...

 (O. versicolor) and the Tawny Marbled Minor

Tawny Marbled Minor

The Tawny Marbled Minor is a species of moth belonging to the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout Europe.This species is extremely similar to the Marbled Minor and the Rufous Minor and specific identification usually requires close study of the genitalia. With a wingspan of 24-27 mm, O...

 (O. latruncula) and identification generally requires dissection to study the genitalia. This species averages slightly larger than its two cousins but the dimensions of all three species overlap. It flies at night from May to July and is attracted to light and sugar.

The larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

 is purplish-brown with yellow stripes and feeds internally in various grass

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

es including Agropyron

Agropyron

Agropyron is a genus of grasses , native to Europe and Asia. Species in the genus are commonly referred to as crested-wheat grasses...

, Dactylis

Dactylis

Dactylis is a genus of grasses in the subfamily Pooideae, native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. They are known in English as cock's-foot or cocksfoot grasses, also sometimes as orchard grasses.-Taxonomy:...

, Elytrigia

Elytrigia

Elytrigia is a genus of about 20–40 species of grasses, native to temperate regions of the Old World, in Europe, Asia, and northwest Africa. The species are sometimes included in the related genera Agropyron or Elymus, while species in the genera Pascopyrum and Pseudoroegneria are included in...

and Poa

Poa

Poa is a genus of about 500 species of grasses, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Common names include meadow-grass , bluegrass , tussock , and speargrass. "Poa" is Greek for fodder...

. This species overwinters as a larva.

1. The flight season refers to the British Isles
   British Isles
   The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
   
   . This may vary in other parts of the range.