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A medium-size (approx. 3.5-3.8 cm wingspan) grey and red-brown moth. Forewings pale grey on the leading half, crossed by a partial erratic black antemedian line and with large oval orbicular and kidney-shaped reniform spot, both narrowly outlined in black. There is a prominent black dash from the wing base to the postmedian line, broken by a gray patch at the antemedian line. Much of the trailing half of the forewing is dark red-brown, tapering obliquely toward the apex. The lower half of the area distad to the black postmedian line is filled with pale scales divided by orange-brown, followed by a black terminal patch crowned with a white "W" mark. Fringe grey and black mixed with red-brown, with a few white scales at the veins. Hindwings dull black, paler toward the base and with a dark discal dot. Male antennae bipectinate, about 5.5 times the width of the shaft. Sexes similar but female with slightly beaded simple antennae. Very similar to both H. contrasta and H. indistincta; males can be identified by the broad bipecinate antennae, and both sexes by the more prominent yellow-brown patch in the anal angle of the forewing. Questionable specimens can be separated by genitalic characters (see Troubridge and Lafontaine, 2004)

Northern Newfoundland and Labrador west to the Aleutian Islands, south in the west to central California and Colorado. In Alberta found only in the mountains and adjacent foothills and the northern boreal forest, from Waterton to the northern Peace River area.

Hyppa brunneicrista was described by Smith from Wolley-Dod specimen(s) collected at the head of Pine Creek, near Calgary. All three Alberta species of Hyppa occur in the mountains and foothills, and females in particular may be difficult to identify. The genus was recently revised by Trobridge and Lafontaine, who illustrate adults of both sexes, male and female genitalia and male antennae of all North American species.