This species inhabits open tussock grasslands in subalpine scrub or wetlands.

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1915, using specimens collected by George Hudson at Mount Earnslaw at 4000 ft in January, and named Xanthorhoe sericodes.

[2] The male lectotype specimen, collected at Mount Earnslaw, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.

Abdomen pale, ochreous, sometimes with double dorsal series of small cloudy dark-fuscous dots.

Forewings triangular, costa hardly arched, apex obtuse, termen rounded, rather oblique; pale greyish-ochreous; in one specimen a transverse dark-fuscous discal dot, and some faint paired fuscous dots on termen, in the other these are wholly absent: cilia whitish - ochreous.