Trigonistis anticlina is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. Adults of this species inhabit dense native forest habitat in ravines.
♂♀. 24-28 m.m. Head and thorax pale whitish-ochreous, sprinkled with fuscous and dark fuscous. Forewings triangular, costa arched anteriorly, slightly sinuate in middle, termen oblique, waved, concave on upper half, obtusely angulated on vein 4; pale whitish-ochreous, irregularly sprinkled with fuscous or brownish-ochreous; a short blackish line from costa almost at base; first line irregularly dentate, blackish, more or less partially obsolete; a rhomboidal spot of blackish-fuscous suffusion in disc above middle, above which are two short blackish-fuscous marks from costa; space between this and second line forming an irregular suffused white spot; costal edge above this dark fuscous dotted with whitish; second line waved, whitish, interruptedly edged anteriorly with blackish, curved inwards on lower half; subterminal dentate, pale, edged with fuscous, space between second and subterminal lines on upper third filled with blackish -fuscous; a terminal series of undefined dark fuscous dots : cilia fuscous-whitish, mixed with fuscous. Hindwings grey-whitish sprinkled with grey; a faint pale curved postmedian line, darker-edged anteriorly.[2]
T. anticlina is on the wing from October to December.[2]
Habitat and hosts
Kunzea ericoides
This species prefers dense forested ravine habitat.[2] It can be found amongst dead leaf litter or fern fronds.[4] The adults of the species has been found to be resident in leaf litter of kanuka (Kunzea ericoides) forest.[7] Larvae are suspected to feed on native leaf litter or fungi.[8]
