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Adults are stoutly built, 11 - 14.3 mm in length. Remarkably large head. Prothorax is thicker and darker with slight bronze hue and a key to species identification. It is large, hind prothoracic angles are strongly protruding with densely punctate base. Legs and head appendages are reddish brown. In males, meso-tibiae of legs bear two tubercles which are usually one in number in other species. Elytra are short and widen behind middle (Lindroth, 1968).

Details on its life history are not available from Canada. However, larvae are noted to hibernate in winter (Lindroth, 1945). Details on life history are available from Europe. In general, oviposition starts late in the season from August to September. First and second instar larvae continue feeding on weed seeds and overwinter in third stadium. Adults emerge late in next summer season (Saska, 2005).

Larvae are granivorous. Seed feeding in larval stage is essential for overall growth and development. Adults exhibit similar food preferences as larvae. Adults usually feed on flower heads and unripe seeds of members of family Asteraceae. Adults and larvae together can remove considerable amount of seed from weed plants they feed on. Some important host plants noted include: Cirsium arvense (L.) and Artemisia vulgaris L. (Saska, 2005).

Introduced from Europe and has Palearctic distribution. Recorded for the first time in Nova Scotia in 1929 and currently wide spread in Atlantic Canada (Fall, 1934, Lindroth, 1955, Majka, 2005). It is restricted in its range mainly to eastern Canada. Reported from New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Quebec (Lindroth, 1955, CBIF, 2010).