About Hemipenthes maura (Linnaeus, 1758)
Hemipenthes maura reaches a body length of approximately 6–12 mm (0.24–0.47 in). Its body is matt black with black dusting. The species has a spherical head with a very short snout, which is not much longer than the mouth. Along the back edge of the compound eyes, the species has black scales; golden yellow scales are present in front of the forehead and face. The antennae have an asymmetrically onion-shaped third segment. Behind the head runs a rim of black hair, with golden yellow hair in the upper part of the rim. On the sides of the top of the torso, there is a pair of white or yellowish stripes. The midsection and the shield have long bristles along their edges. Wing venation distinguishes this species from similar species, most notably Hemipenthes morio, which has a transparent tip to the R1 radial cell. The wing scales of Hemipenthes maura are brownish-white with brown hair along the edges. A larger surface of the wings is blackened, and this darkening also covers the tips of the radial and discoidal cells. On the abdomen, the rear edges of the tergites have narrow white bands, with the exception of the fifth tergite, which has a yellowish band on its rear edge.
This species has a Palaearctic distribution. In Europe, it can be found in Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Malta, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, Croatia, and the European part of Russia. Further east, it occurs from West Asia to China. Hemipenthes maura inhabits forest edges, xerothermic grasslands, and psammophilous grasslands.
