Wingspan 15–19 mm. Forewings are black with distinctive yellow, orange, and silvery markings and a conspicuous ocellus with alternating black and yellow bands, a sharply defined costal strigulae in the apical half which are bordered dorsad by ferruginous-orange. Hindwings are dark greyish brown with white fringe.

Females lay eggs singly or in small clusters on tree bark.

Last instar larvae are about 8-11 mm in length. The abdomen is whitish to grey to pinkish with darker grey pinacula. The head and prothoracic shield are brown, sometimes the shield is marked with black on the posterolateral margin.

The larva bores in the bark and feeds under the surface, especially in the thick bark at the foot of older trees en in places where the bark already is swollen by old wounds or cankers.
The presence of the larva in its turn causes gumming and loosening of the bark. Reddish brown frass in bark fissures betrays the presence of the larva.
It hibernates. Pupation occurs in the larval feeding tunnels close to the surface of the bark or within the frass tubes.
They emerge at about 10 a.m. and then rest on the trunk till noon. They are active in sunshine and later come to light.

The larva feeds on various rosaceous trees, especially mature Prunus avium and Malus spp. trees. Also on Prunus cerasus and other Prunus spp, Pyrus.

It inhabits woods, parks, orchards, mature ornamental cherry trees along suburban roads and gardens.