Description: Wingspan 20 - 32 mm (0.8 - 1.3 in.), forewing mottled gray pattern with short row of dark bars near outer margin; wing fringes checkered. Hindwing may have pale spots. Underside and upperside black. Larval host plants include quailbush (Atriplex lentiformis), and other members of the goosefoot family. Flight season from April to September.
Diet: Known nectar species are saltcedar (Tamarix sp.), seaside heliotrope (Heliotropium curassavicum), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa).
Habitat: Desert riparian areas with flat deep soils where its larval host, quailbush (Atriplex lentiformis), is present; also in desert washes and alkali flats. Elevations: 411 - 609 m (1,350 - 2,000 ft).
Range: Endemic to the Colorado River drainage from southwestern Utah to northern Baja California, Mexico. The Nevada populations are the northernmost of its range, occurring in scattered colonies along the Muddy River.