This species was described by Edward Meyrick in 1914 using a specimen collected by George Hudson at Kaeo in January.[4][5] Hudson discussed and illustrated this species both in his 1928 book The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand as well as his 1950 publication Fragments of New Zealand entomology.[6][7] The holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[4]
Description
Meyrick described the species as follows:
♀︎. 12 mm. Head and thorax deep purple, face whitish. Palpi dark fuscous. Antennae violet - fuscous. Abdomen dark bluish - grey. Forewings elongate, rather narrow, posteriorly slightly dilated, costa anteriorly slightly, towards apex strongly arched, apex obtuse, termen obliquely rounded; deep purple; a semioval ochreous-white spot on middle of costa, reaching 1⁄3 across wing; dorsum obscurely marked with several small blue- metallic spots and minute whitish dots; a transverse-linear blackish mark in disc at 3⁄4; a narrow bright-purple transverse fascia shot with metallic-blue and edged anteriorly with indistinct white dots from beyond 3⁄4 of costa to tornus, and another before apex : cilia dark grey, with blackish median line. Hindwings dark bronzy-fuscous, lighter anteriorly; cilia dark grey.[5]
The adult moth is on the wing in January.[6] It is a day flying moth.[9] It has been hypothesised that this moth mimics the appearance of the beetle Zorion guttigerum.[6]
Host species and habitat
This species has been collected by sweeping in dense forest.[7]
^ abMeyrick, E. (1914). "Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 46: 101–118 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
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