This species was described by Edward Meyrick in 1931 using a specimen collected by S.C. Patterson in Whangārei in January and named Scoparia ustiramis.[3][2]George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1939 book A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand.[2][4] In 1988 John S. Dugdale assigned this species to the genus Eudonia.[2] The holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[2]
Description
Meyrick described the species as follows:
♂ 16 mm. Head, thorax grey mixed white. Palpi dark grey, apical edge white. Forewings elongate-triangular, termen slightly rounded, oblique; grey, costal and dorsal thirds suffusedly irrorated white; an irregular streak of black irroration beneath cell from base to end; a slenderer black streak in cell from middle to end, terminating in a white dot on angle of cell, and five rather irregular black lines on veins to termen, black dots on ends of terminal veins: cilia whitish-grey, a light grey subbasal line. Hindwings light grey; cilia pale grey, a darker subbasal shade.[3]
The wing pattern of this species is variable and the holotype has strong dark longitudinal streaks on its forewings.[5] Other specimens of this species have been confirmed through the comparison of male genitalia.[5]
Distribution
This species is endemic to New Zealand.[6][1] For many years this species was only known from its type locality.[5] However, in recent years it has been identified as a very locally common species of Northland and Auckland.[5]
Habitat
This species is known to inhabit gumland heaths.[5]
^ abMeyrick, E. (1931). "New species of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 62: 92–97 – via National Library of New Zealand.
